Abstract
Background
Family caregivers of cancer patients are very involved in communication with healthcare teams; however, little is known about their experiences. Limited information is known about how the type of cancer patients have impact caregiving experiences.
Objectives
This study seeks to compare the caregiving experience of caregivers of hospice lung cancer patients with hospice caregivers of patients with all other cancer types.
Method
This study is based on a secondary analysis of data generated from a parent study evaluating a behavioral intervention with caregivers of hospice cancer patients.
Results
When comparing caregiving experiences by patient diagnosis, significant differences were found in caregivers of hospice lung cancer demographics and experiences with caregiver-centered communication. Specifically, caregivers of lung cancer patients have significantly more trouble with exchange of information, fostering relationships, and decision making with their hospice team.
Conclusion
More research is needed to understand the impact of lung cancer on caregiver centered communication and the necessary interventions required to address these issues.
Author contributions
All authors have met the criteria for authorship.
Conflict of interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Lay summary
This project compared experiences of family caregivers of hospice lung cancer with experiences of family caregivers of patients with other kinds of cancer. We found at caregivers of hospice lung cancer patients have lower caregiver centered communication than other types of cancer. These data suggest a need to understand the unique needs and experiences of caregivers of family lung cancer patients.