COVID 19: An additional burden on caregivers of cancer patients in Tunisia

Background: COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected cancer patient management, increasing the burden on their caregivers (CG), who are already overwhelmed We aimed to identify COVID-19-related challenges and the overload burden experienced by CGs Methods: Between March and May 2020, 40 CG designated by cancer patients were phone interviewed based on a questionnaire CGs were requested to enumerate regular and new tasks they have been performing for the care recipient and report caregiving-related challenges faced during the COVID-19 outbreak, coping strategies and unmet needs Results: CGs were mainly women (67%) Median age was 42 years they were the spouses in 30% of cases, children in 58% and siblings in 12% CG lived with the patients in 57% and 18% moved-in with the care recipient during the lockdown The 25% CG smokers reported an increase in the daily number of cigarettes All CGs reported strict adhesion to safety precautions;63% stockpiled food and medical supplies due to panicking They reported difficulties in obtaining cancer and non-cancer related drugs in 30% of cases Transportation to and from the hospital was more difficult in 30% of cases, affecting significantly chemo-sessions attendance (p=0 001) 52% of CGs believed that cancer was more serious than COVID-19 and 45% thought that both were equally serious 13% decided to miss chemotherapy sessions fearing contagion CGs were deeply worried that their care recipient might get worse in 92% of cases, 55% feared they might be denied intensive care if they caught the virus because of cancer Additional financial burden was caused by expenses to buy sanitizer gel and face masks in 77% and transportation in 23% Increased anxiety was reported in 82% of CGs, 58% had sleep disorders, 7% took sleeping pills 97% of CGs were satisfied with new screening measures in our medical oncology department while 15% faced communication problems with health workers Reported unmet needs were: 23 % transportation difficulties, 3% lack of financial support, 18% lack of cancer-related information, 40% lack of psychological support Conclusions: CGs seemed suffering from an additional burden due to COVID-19 spread logistically, financially, physically and emotionally highlighting the lack of planned strategies in such unprecedented situation Legal entity responsible for the study: Abderrahman Mami Hospital Funding: Has not received any funding Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest