Exploring experiences of palliative care patients’ guardians at Mzuzu central hospital

The number of patients with chronic illnesses who require palliative care services is increasing every year in Malawi. For this reason, family involvement in caregiving has become increasingly important as the number of patients receiving palliative care continues to grow. Guardians play a greater role in the provision of care to patients that are on palliative care. For instance, they provide physical, emotional, and financial support to their patients. Evidence suggests that the guardians/caregivers encounter several challenges as they provide the support. This study therefore, aimed to explore the experiences of family caregivers/guardians when taking care of patients at Mzuzu Central Hospital palliative care clinic. This was a descriptive qualitative study, conducted at a public Hospital in Mzuzu City, Malawi among 16 guardians aged above 21 years. Data were collected using a semi- structured interview guide. Ethical approval was obtained from College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee. Thematic analysis of the data was done guided by Collaizi’s framework. The findings from this study reveal that caregivers play a crucial role in patient care, providing psychological support, basic nursing activities, and physical support. It has been noted that they face financial challenges, including transport costs, food, and other needs. Some caregivers leave their main income source, businesses, and work to care for patients, while others face social isolation and distress. Patients under palliative care require comprehensive support from their caregivers. However, the study found that caregivers were facing challenges that were hindering the provision of adequate support to the patients. Among the challenges include the physical burden involved in caring for the patients, psychological stress, social stigma from the community and others. There is a need to ensure that caregivers of the patients under palliative care are provided with targeted interventions, such as education, as well as initiatives aimed at alleviating their psychological and physical burdens.