Abstract:

Introduction: A child’s chronic disease affects every sphere of their life-physical, mental, socio-economic, and behavioral, and because the illness is a central event for the family, it also affects the child’s closest family, especially their parents and caregivers. Caregivers experience many healthcare needs when caring for their sick children. Research shows that caregivers of oncological children have a high level of unmet needs, including psychosocial, emotional, physical, informational, financial, educational, and spiritual needs. This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with unmet supportive care needs among caregivers with children diagnosed with cancer at Bugando Medical Centre in Tanzania.

Methodology: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study design was conducted among 125 caregivers between June and August 2023, through structured research-administered questionnaire prepared in English and Swahili language. Information in the questionnaire included name, age, sex, residence, marital status and other important information. Caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer were invited to participate in the study to assess their unmet needs.

Results: The findings from this study observed that the prevalence of unmet supportive care among care givers of children diagnosed with cancer at Bugando Medical Centre was 65.60%. The analysis found that 95% of the participants experienced some level of need for one or more items, and 75% of the respondents reported a high need for one or more items. In the field of medical information, 70% of respondents had high needs, 64% of respondents reported a high level of need for help in the psychological or emotional field, and 30% in the financial domain. The prevalence of moderate or high need in the remaining domains ranged from 10% to 15%.

Conclusions: Caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer experience a high level of needs, especially information, psychological and emotional. These data suggested that the existing healthcare system does not meet the needs of caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer. The results showed that there was the need of investigating the mechanisms by which healthcare providers can use the healthcare system to identify and meet needs of caregiver living with children diagnosed with cancer.