Caregivers' impact in heart failure: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Caregivers play a pivotal role in supporting patients with heart failure (HF). Caregiving may be associated with significant impact on the caregivers' health. This study aimed at exploring the impact of caregiving in relation to self-rated health, anxiety and depression compared with the general Danish population. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted with caregivers of adult patients with HF New York Heart Association (NYHA) II, III and IV from the Department of Cardiology at the North Zealand Hospital in Denmark. Patients with HF were asked to indicate the caregiver ≥18 years to participate. Assessment of caregivers included the Zarit Burden Interview, Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS: Of 127 included caregivers, 119 completed the questionnaire (96 women). The mean age was 67 years (range 28-87 years). Overall, 31% of caregivers found caregiving burdensome. The heaviest burden was found in caregivers of patients with the highest symptom burden and NYHA class (p=0.005). Caregivers had 1.63 (95% CI: 1.00 to 2.66) times higher odds of reporting signs of anxiety than individuals in the general population. However, caregivers had 1.88 (95% CI: 1.09 to 3.25) times higher odds of rating their health as good than the general Danish population. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding of a higher proportion of caregivers reporting good health compared with the general population is in keeping with other recent studies. However, educational and supportive interventions supporting caregivers in providing care while maintaining their own health should still be considered.