• Slavica Kochovska, Diana Ferreira, Sungwon Chang, Tim Luckett, Jessica Roydhouse, Magnus Ekström, and David C Currow.
• Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
• Palliat Med. 2024 Jan 1; 38 (1): 156162156-162.

BackgroundChronic breathlessness adversely impacts people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their caregivers (family and friends), who may, in turn, experience significant burden due to their caregiving role. Sustained-release morphine may reduce chronic breathlessness in some patients, which may have an impact on caregivers' perceived burden.AimTo explore the impact on caregiver burden of active treatment of people with chronic breathlessness (modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) ⩾ 3) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with regular, low-dose, sustained-release morphine within a multi-site, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.DesignExploratory analysis of self-reported caregiver burden at baseline and end of week 3 in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Caregiver measures included: demographics and perceived burden (Zarit Burden Interview 12-item short-form questionnaire). Patient measures included: worst breathlessness and FitBitR-measures.Setting/ParticipantsAll consenting caregivers of trial patient participants in a multi-site study recruiting from palliative care and respiratory services.ResultsCaregivers (n = 49; 59% women; median age 68 years [IQR 50-75]) reported median baseline caregiver burden 12 [IQR 5-17], with 53% reporting high burden (⩾13). Eighty-four percent of caregivers reported no change in burden. In people whose worst breathlessness improved, caregiver burden moved in the same direction, though the correlation was not significant (rs = 0.25, p = 0.17). Conversely, caregiver burden worsened as patients' minutes lightly active increased, with the correlation being significant (rs = 0.56, p = 0.04).ConclusionsCaregivers reported high levels of caregiver burden, but patients' response to treatment in terms of their symptom and function may influence change in caregiver burden over a three-week period.

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