Conocimientos del cuidador informal en el manejo del paciente oncológico en fase paliativa

Abstract

Introduction: Informal caregivers are the fundamental pillar of patients in palliative phase since they adopt the role of helping with the basic needs of the person they care for, reducing physical and emotional suffering, helping to maintain quality of life. There are studies that indicate that if extra support is given to their families, they could improve the quality of life of people with cancer in palliative phase by reducing various symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and lack of appetite. Objective: To analyze the knowledge of the informal caregiver in the management of cancer patients in the palliative phase. Materials and Methods: the study was qualitative and descriptive, whose population was made up of 6 informal caregivers who, through the application of a semi-structured interview of 10 questions, commented on their experiences. In the organization and data processing, the Microsoft Excel program was used. To demonstrate the main findings, the analysis tables and checklists were optimized. Results and Discussion: the majority of informal caregivers are women who do not have sufficient knowledge to face this type of situation, so they have to go through experiences of suffering since most cancers are detected stage III and IV Conclusion: The experience of Home caregiver means a difficult scenario for which they are not trained, therefore it is necessary to improve their strengths by substantially improving their knowledge.