SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALoncology, neurology

cross-sectional·oncology, neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, clinical trial, observational study·PMC10180375

Unmet needs and wish for support of family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients

Neuro-Oncology Practice · 7 authors, 10 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATIONFamily caregivers of primary brain tumor patients recruited from outpatient neuro-oncology clinics

INTERVENTIONAssessment with an adapted Caregiver Needs Screen (33 items) including wish-for-support tick boxes

COMPARISON

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This cross-sectional study of 71 family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients found that caregivers reported a high number of unmet needs (mean 17.20 out of 33 items) but showed only a weak correlation between unmet needs and wish for support (r = 0.296, P = .014), suggesting these are distinct concepts requiring separate assessment in clinical practice.

Full summary

686 CHARS

This mixed-methods, single-center cross-sectional study assessed unmet needs and wish for support in 71 family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients recruited from outpatient neuro-oncology clinics. Caregivers completed an adapted version of the Caregiver Needs Screen (CNS) containing 33 items rated 0–10, with tick boxes indicating wish for support. A weak but statistically significant correlation was found between total unmet needs and wish for support (r = 0.296, P = .014), indicating these are not equivalent constructs. Participants rated the CNS tool positively for acceptability and feasibility (mean scores 4.2–6.2 out of 7), with average completion time of 12 minutes.

PICO

PPOPULATION

Family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients recruited from outpatient neuro-oncology clinics

IINTERVENTION

Assessment with an adapted Caregiver Needs Screen (33 items) including wish-for-support tick boxes

OOUTCOME

Unmet caregiving needs, wish for support, and acceptability/feasibility of the CNS tool

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

oncology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10180375

Unmet needs and wish for support of family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients

Neuro-Oncology Practice

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background Most primary brain tumor patients rely on family caregivers for support. Caregiving can be rewarding, but also leads to significant burden from unmet needs. We aimed to: (1) identify and characterize caregivers’ unmet needs; (2) determine associations between unmet needs and wish for support; (3) evaluate acceptability of the Caregiver Needs Screen (CNS) and perceived feasibility in clinical practice. Methods Family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients were recruited from outpatient clinics and asked to complete an adapted version of the CNS consisting of 33 common issues caregivers report (item scale 0–10), and the wish for support (yes/no). Participants ranked acceptability and feasibility (item scale 0–7; higher scores being positive) of the adapted CNS. Descriptive and non-parametric correlational analyses were applied. Results Caregivers ( N = 71) reported 1–33 unmet caregiving needs ( M = 17.20, sd = 7.98) but did not always wish for support (range 0–28, M = 5.82, sd = 6.96). A weak correlation was found between total number of unmet needs and wish for support ( r = 0.296, P = .014). Most distressing items were patients’ changes in memory/concentration ( M = 5.75, sd = 3.29), patients’ fatigue ( M = 5.58, sd = 3.43), and signs of disease progression ( M = 5.23, sd = 3.15).Caregivers most often wished support with recognizing disease progression ( N = 24), and least often with managing spiritual issues ( N = 0). Caregivers evaluated acceptability and feasibility of the CNS tool positively (mean scores ranged 4.2–6.2). Conclusions Family caregivers experience distress resulting from many neuro-oncology specific needs, but this is not directly related to wish for support. Family caregiver needs screening could be useful to tailor support to suit their preferences in clinical practice.

CITATION EXPORT

Lucy Pointon, Robin Grant, Sharon Peoples et al.. Unmet needs and wish for support of family caregivers of primary brain tumor patients. Neuro-Oncology Practice. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1093/nop/npac099

AUTHORS

7 · 10 CENTRES

Lucy Pointon, Robin Grant, Sharon Peoples, Sara Erridge, Paula Sherwood, Martin Klein, Florien Boele

Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
School of Psychology, University of Leeds, University Rd, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JU, UK
Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-Oncology, Western General Hospital Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Edinburgh EH4 2LF, UK
Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-Oncology, Western General Hospital Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Edinburgh EH4 2LF, UK
Edinburgh Centre for Neuro-Oncology, Western General Hospital Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Edinburgh EH4 2LF, UK
University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, 336 Victoria Bldg, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Medical Psychology, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cancer Center Amsterdam, Brain Tumor Center, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9NL, UK