What are the correlates of caregiver burden in spouses of patients after coronary artery bypass surgery?
Caregiver burden after CAB surgery is associated with poorer patient health and lower caregiver mental HRQL, highlighting the need for caregiver screening.
Only poorer patient health status and lower caregiver mental HRQL were supported by previous research in this population. Positive relationships between burden and caregiver competence and personal gain may be a reflection that spouse caregivers were invested and working hard. They felt satisfied from enhancement of self but were burdened from their caregiving role, providing support for a previously described two-domain caregiving model. Caregiver screening is essential to identify spouses at high risk for negative outcomes. Longitudinal research is needed to identify the correlates and predictors most likely to influence burden and caregiver gain over time, and to more fully understand caregiving in the CAB population.
Halm et al. (Wed,) studied this question.