Assessment of Caregiver Burden and Pressure Injury Awareness Among Caregivers of Home Health Patients

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the caregiver burden among home health caregivers of patients with pressure injuries, and to explore the correlation between their level of awareness regarding pressure injuries. Materials and Methods: This single-centre survey study enrolled home health patients with pressure injuries from our Home Health Services (HHS) unit. After scanning the files of all patients, outpatient clinic applications and home visits, 130 patients with pressure injuries were identified. A survey comprising 37 questions covering caregiver demographics, pressure injury knowledge, patient clinical characteristics, and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZBI) with 22 items was administered. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 24.0, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of participating caregivers was 51.6±11.1 years, with 73.1% being female, and 40.8% solely responsible for patient care. The mean Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale score was 38.42 ± 11.45, with 43.8% experiencing light care burden and 46.2% moderate care burden. On average, caregivers answered 6.12 out of 9 knowledge questions correctly. Pearson Correlation Coefficient between Zarit Caregiving Burden Scale and Pressure Injury Knowledge Level (PIKL) was calculated as r= -0.191. This value shows that the relationship between the two variables is quite weak and negative. Conclusion: Among caregivers of home health patients with pressure injuries, those with higher pressure injury awareness exhibited significantly lower care burden.