Alteraciones de las actividades de la vida diaria del cuidador informal de pacientes oncológicos.

Abstract

Hospital overload exposes informal caregivers of people with cancer to restrictions in their self-care, transforming basic activity routines and compromising their physical and emotional performance. Objective: To determine the functional status of basic activities of daily living of informal caregivers of cancer patients admitted to the Teodoro Maldonado Specialty Hospital in 2024. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with 252 caregivers selected by convenience; the Barthel index and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied; and a descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Autonomy and mild dependence predominated: 40% maintained total independence, 37% required minimal support, 12% registered complete dependence, and 5% severe dependence. Among women, 22.2% were mildly dependent, and 21.4% were fully independent; among men, the respective values were 15.1% and 18.7%. The activities with notable disability were bathing (24.6%), climbing or descending stairs (16.7%), moving around (14.7%), and eating (11.9%). Personal hygiene showed disability in 15.9% of cases, and partial disability in 38.1%. Independent mobility reached 40.5%. The predominant cohort was 25–34 years old (40.87%), followed by the 35–45 age group (35.32%). Conclusion: The study portrayed a young caregiver, working, with overall independence but specific vulnerability in hygiene and vertical mobility, a situation that warrants ergonomic strategies and periodic functional screening.