Enhancing the quality of life for palliative care cancer patients in Indonesia through family caregivers: a pilot study of basic skills training

Abstract Background Palliative care in Indonesia is problematic because of cultural and socio-economic factors. Family in Indonesia is an integral part of caregiving process in inpatient and outpatient settings. However, most families are not adequately prepared to deliver basic care for their sick family member. This research is a pilot project aiming to evaluate how basic skills training (BST) given to family caregivers could enhance the quality of life (QoL) of palliative care cancer patients in Indonesia. Methods The study is a prospective quantitative with pre and post-test design. Thirty family caregivers of cancer patients were trained in basic skills including showering, washing hair, assisting for fecal and urinary elimination and oral care, as well as feeding at bedside. Patients’ QoL were measured at baseline and 4 weeks after training using EORTC QLQ C30. Hypothesis testing was done using related samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank. A paired t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to check in which subgroups was the intervention more significant. Results The intervention showed a significant change in patients’ global health status/QoL, emotional and social functioning, pain, fatigue, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation and financial hardship of the patients. Male patient’s had a significant effect on global health status (qol) ( p  = 0.030); female patients had a significant effect on dyspnea ( p  = 0.050) and constipation ( p  = 0.038). Younger patients had a significant effect in global health status/QoL ( p  = 0.002). Patients between 45 and 54 years old had significant effect on financial issue ( p  = 0.039). Caregivers between 45 and 54 years old had significant effect on patients’ dyspnea ( p  = 0.031). Conclusions Basic skills training for family caregivers provided some changes in some aspects of QoL of palliative cancer patients. The intervention showed promises in maintaining the QoL of cancer patients considering socio-economic and cultural challenges in the provision of palliative care in Indonesia.