Introduction
Burn injuries can disrupt a person’s daily life and require immediate treatment and care. In addition to the affected individual, their family caregivers are also affected. Given the relationships between family, both face challenges that can pose a care burden and cause physical and psychological problems in caregivers. This study aimed to determine the effect of family-centered education on the caregiving burden of family caregivers of burn victims in Iran.
Methods
This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2024 on 80 caregivers of burn victims admitted to Shahid Motahari Hospital in Tehran, who were selected using a continuous sampling method. They were divided into two groups of intervention and control (40 in each group). Data collection tools included a demographic form and the 22-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Caregivers completed the ZBI 2-3 days after admission and one month after discharge. The intervention groups received family-centered training in subgroups of 5-10 at 4 sessions, in a lecture or question-and-answer format, each session lasting 45-60 minutes. The educational content provided information about the burn process, types and degrees of burns, wound care, proper nutrition, possible long-term effects of burns (scar care, psychological complications), how to adapt to the complications of the disease and rehabilitation stages, and when to refer to hospital again. Educational sessions were held in a room at the hospital clinic during dress changes in each session, and the total sampling period was two months. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 16 using descriptive statistics (including frequency and percentage for qualitative variables and mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables) and inferential statistics (Fisher’s exact test, Chi-square test, independent t-test, paired t-test).
Results
The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of demographic and burn characteristics and were homogeneous. The results of the independent t-test showed that the mean total ZBI score and the scores of its domains were not significantly different between the two groups before the intervention; however, after the intervention, this difference was statistically significant, such that the score of the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The results of the paired t-test also showed that, in the intervention group, the ZBI score, both overall and in its dimensions, decreased significantly after the intervention compared with pre-intervention (P<0.001), whereas this difference was not significant in the control group.
Conclusion
According to the results, family-centered education can lead to a reduction in caregiving burden and its dimensions in family caregivers of burn victims..
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.IUMS.REC.1403.277) and was registered by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (ID: IRCT20240714062428N1)
Funding
This article was extracted from a master’s thesis in Emergency Nursing funded by Iran University of Medical Sciences.
Authors' contributions
Writing the initial draft, data collection, project administration: Fatemeh Sadat Tajzadeh; Supervision, review & editing: Mahnaz Seyedoshohadaee; Statistical analysis: Hamid Haghani; Final approval: All authors.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all participants, the staff of the Emergency Department of Shahid Motahari Burn Hospital, and the Deputy for Research of Iran University of Medical Sciences for their cooperation, time, and support.
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