Bridging primary and palliative care

This study aimed to examine the association between access to family physicians and caregiver burden among individuals providing care for terminal-stage cancer patients receiving palliative care. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the palliative care unit of a tertiary-level training and research hospital in Turkey between October and December 2025. Data were collected using the Zarit Burden Interview and the Perceived Access to Health Care Questionnaire. The relationships between variables were analyzed using Spearman correlation and multivariable linear regression analyses. Daily caregiving hours (P < .001) and total duration of caregiving (P < .001) showed a positive correlation with caregiver burden. A negative correlation was found between the overall perceived access to family physicians score and caregiver burden (ρ = -0.320, P < .001). In multivariable analysis, daily caregiving hours (β = 0.606, P < .001) and total caregiving duration (β = 0.377, P < .001) were identified as independent predictors increasing caregiver burden, whereas the affordability subdimension of the Perceived Access to Health Care Questionnaire demonstrated a protective effect (β = -0.685, P = .021). Caregiver burden increased with longer daily caregiving hours and total duration of care, whereas higher overall perceived access to family physicians was associated with lower caregiver burden. These findings suggest that strengthening the integration of primary care with palliative care may play a crucial role in alleviating caregiver burden. The study provides an original contribution to the international literature on primary care-based palliative care integration, supported by empirical data from Turkey.