Health and Quality of Life Assessment Project for Caregivers of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients (HELP-IPF)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, disabling disease characterized by a progressive and irreversible deterioration in respiratory function, resulting in impaired quality of life (QoL) and patient dependence.

The factors involved in the alteration of QoL in these patients are the physical symptoms related to fibrosis (dyspnea, cough, fatigue) and psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression) as well as social, relational and financial factors, the experience of the disease and disability, the time required for diagnosis, the information received, and the initiation of a treatment such as oxygen therapy.

Caregivers primarily in chronic diseases (so-called natural or informal caregivers) provide partial or total assistance to a dependent person for activities of daily living for care, social support and maintenance of autonomy, administrative procedures, psychological support, communication, domestic activities or even financial assistance, often despite their own exhaustion and health issues.

Recent studies on the QoL of patient-caregiver dyads in IPF through semi-structured interviews highlight the role of previously identified factors in caregivers as well.

Investigators want to confirm the data obtained in a large population of patients and their caregivers in order to evaluate the QoL of caregivers and confirm the impact of its various factors on it in order to suggest ways to improve the lives of both the caregiver and the patient.

The hypothesis of investigators' work is that the QoL of caregivers of patients with IPF is altered, particularly by the patient's functional symptoms (cough, dyspnea, fatigue, anxiety and depression), the arrival of oxygen therapy in the home and the caregiver's social isolation.

Investigators believe that there are links and interactions between the caregiver's and patient's quality of life and therefore have an impact on the patient's care.