Claudicación familiar en pacientes en etapas avanzadas de la enfermedad.

Abstract

Family burnout is the exhaustion of primary caregivers. This term describes the physical, emotional, and economic impact caregivers face when assuming the responsibility of caring for a seriously ill family member. In Spain, it has been reported that 40% of caregivers of palliative care patients face difficulties balancing their work and caregiving responsibilities. In Ecuador, up to 73.3% of families of terminally ill patients report experiencing high levels of family burnout. To determine the factors that influence family burnout in order to develop interventions that strengthen the family's role as a fundamental support in patient care and improve their quality of life. A descriptive, prospective, quantitative, and non-experimental study was conducted with a sample of 60 primary caregivers. An instrument developed using the WHOQOL-BREF and the Zarit scale was used. Data were tabulated using IBM SPSS and Excel. 100% of the patients had associated comorbidities, 50% had high blood pressure, 23.33% were obese, 16.67% reported diabetes mellitus, and 10% suffered from respiratory diseases. 41.17% reported experiencing an overload of intense caregiving for their family member, reflecting a high level of physical, emotional, and psychological exhaustion. Meanwhile, 31.77% reported mild overload, while 27.06% indicated no overload at all. Family debility is a complex phenomenon that affects both caregiver and patient, especially in the context of advanced chronic illness.