• Radka Bužgová, Radka Kozáková, and Lucie Sikorová.
• J Palliat Care. 2015 Jan 1; 31 (4): 250-7.

BackgroundAn important aim of palliative care is to ensure the highest possible quality of life (QoL) for the family members of patients.AimWe aimed to determine the QoL of family members of hospitalized patients with end-stage disease, as well as differences in QoL based on socio-demographic characteristics and the patient's functional status, psychological distress, and QoL.MethodsStudy participants were 292 family members of terminally ill patients at University Hospital, Ostrava, Czech Republic. To evaluate family members' QoL, we used the Quality of Life in Life-Threatening Illness--Family Carer Version (QOLLTI-F). We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) Scale to assess patients' functional status and psychological distress.ResultsA statistically significant difference was found in QoL evaluation based on family members' socio-demographic characteristics in education, employment, and age. A significantly lower QoL score was observed for patients' life partners in six domains. A correlation was found between patients' poorer functional status and family members' lower QoL. We found lower global QoL in family members of patients with depression.ConclusionFamily support is a cornerstone of palliative care. Palliative care professionals should focus on at-risk family members--the life partners of patients, the unemployed, younger people, and those whose ill loved one has a poor functional status.

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