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Cancer Caregivers’ Needs for Their Well-Being in the Information Era

Authors:
Ah Choo Koo
Peter Charles Woods
Tenku Putri Norishah Tenku Shariman
Kok Yew Ang
Sian Hoon Teoh
Weng Ping Chin

Keywords: Cancer; caregivers’ need; communication; information; factor analysis.

Abstract:
Caregivers face numerous challenges when dealing with chronic diseases such as cancer. Ageing populations and environmental factors account for increasing numbers of people suffering a variety of cancers, and inevitably the increase in caregivers. Caregivers may be the influencers for cancer treatment decisions by patients, hence their needs as caregivers warrant study. This paper focuses on identifying factors of cancer caregivers’ needs in the context of an information and communication technology oriented society. A total of 84 caregivers were recruited for the study from two cancer clinics in a hospital, located in Kuala Lumpur. Quantitative research using a survey instrument was conducted. Factor Analysis was used to identify the need factors, that are communication, personal well-being, basic healthcare, information access, coping with change, and learning needs. This study identified the need for improving communication between cancer sufferers and caregivers, from the caregivers’ perspective is seen to be crucial. Facilitation on communication needs should be incorporated into any patient-centered healthcare system for establishing a comprehensive healthcare model. Future research is proposed to look more specifically into information, communication and learning needs.

Pages: 9 to 17

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2020

Publication date: October 25, 2020

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4553

ISBN: 978-1-61208-817-4

Location: Nice, France

Dates: from October 25, 2020 to October 29, 2020