The disease-related needs of schizophrenic patients' primary caregivers and their on care burden the effect

This study has been done cross-sectional to research the requirements of caregivers of schizophrenia patients and the effects of these requirements on the care burden. The research has been done on caregivers of 94 schizophrenia patients which consists of 21 inpatients and 73 outpatients, at a university hospital located at the city of Denizli. The data has been collected between the dates of 1st of March 2015 and 31st December 2015. While collecting data, a questionnaire and a care burden scale that measures the level of burden of caregivers has been used. It has been concluded that, while care giving 64,9% drug treatment and side effects, 67% dealing with symptoms of schizophrenia, 61,7% drug education, 58,8% early warning symptoms, 36,2% groups and associations about schizophrenia, 50% communication skills, 50% dealing with stress, 60,6% legals rights of patient whom giving care, 48,9% psychosocial treatment, 47,9% daily living skills of patient, 57,4% managing the leisure time activities of the patient, 61,7% participating to domestic life, of caregivers need knowledge and experience. The average score of care burden scale of the primary caregivers is determined as 38,47±15,05. It has been concluded that, the primary caregivers' lack of knowledge and experience about drug treatment and side effects, dealing with symptoms of schizophrenia, early warning symptoms, communication skills, dealing with stress, psychosocial treatment, managing the leisure time activities of the patient, participating to domestic life, impress the care burden. When all the results are evaluated, it is clearly understood that the feeling of burden care for caregivers will be able to reduce with giving consultancy services related to what they need and with a creation of comprehensive, systematic, continuous education programs including the difficulties faced by caregivers and the requirements been able to cope easily with the difficulties during care period. Key words: Schizophrenia, primary caregivers, needs, care burden.