This study aimed to document the daily living conditions of caregivers in two referral hospitals in Yaoundé. The findings reveal that their hospital stay is characterized by significant hardships and frequently conflictual relationships with healthcare staff.

Most of the participants were women over 41 years old, a finding consistent with observation in a study conducted in UK [19]. This trend may reflect women’s increased likelihood of assuming maternal caregiving roles with advancing age, making them more inclined to care for ill family members [2,3]. Half of the caregivers were either unemployed or self-employed, with monthly incomes below 50,000 CFA francs. This pattern likely reflects hospital care demands, as families typically designate the most available member to provide prolonged patient support [20].

Regarding their hospital experience, over a quarter of caregivers performed caregiving tasks for their relatives, primarily including feeding, bathing, dressing, and administering medication. A study conducted in Cameroon highlighted the involvement of caregivers in clinical care [5]. Although these tasks typically fall under healthcare staff responsibilities, overburdened providers, despite being aware of their duties, often fail to perform them due to staffing shortages [4,21]. Consequently, caregivers are compelled to take on these roles to ensure proper treatment adherence.

Over 50% of caregivers slept outdoors or on hallway benches. This situation stems from the lack of clear regulatory frameworks defining their status in Cameroonian healthcare facilities [5,20], exposing them to precarious conditions that may increase disease susceptibility [22]. Confronted with this challenge, health authorities must urgently develop policies that specifically address patient attendants’ needs within the healthcare system. Therefore, it is evident that, exposed to these living conditions in healthcare facilities, caregivers may experience the onset of healthcare associated infections such as malaria, diarrheal diseases, stress, hypertension, and even unexplained deaths. This situation indeed raises the question of how to properly consider and care for caregivers as partners in the healthcare system.

Some caregivers reported sharing beds with patients, despite this practice being strictly prohibited, even prohibiting sitting on patient beds [23]. This concerning practice highlights the urgent need to implement Behavior Change Communication sessions to educate caregivers about associated risks and to modify these unsafe behaviors [24].

In the Cameroonian context, it is entirely understandable for these care partners to offer a critical judgment on healthcare services. While it is true that the caregiver is a potential patient due to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of their sick loved one, this suffering must still be taken into account. A question, an inquisitive look, a manifestation of dissatisfaction, or even violence may be signs and symptoms associated with this distress.

The study showed that caregivers experience difficult living conditions in healthcare facilities. They often dedicate all of their time to caring for their sick loved ones, to the point of neglecting themselves. They also lack a framework that could offer them a minimum level of security. Some sleep on the floor, while others stay awake simply to remain as close as possible to the patient.

These living conditions have serious physical and psychological consequences, including fatigue, stress, and body aches. The precariousness of their situation also exacerbates these issues due to the uncertainty regarding the patient’s prognosis [25–27]. In most African healthcare facilities, a caregiver’s suffering is intensified when they are financially incompetent or when the hospitalization is prolonged. This leads to a strong feeling of shame, social isolation, and a high tendency toward depression or suicide [25].

Nights spent outdoors or in makeshift shelters are a genuine ordeal for caregivers, who are exposed to cold and various weather conditions. A study conducted in Cameroon revealed that a caregiver’s suffering severely affects the sick person [28]. Poor hospital hygiene conditions also lead to the proliferation of mosquitoes, and it is not uncommon for some caregivers to contract severe forms of malaria.

Thus, the deprivation of sleep, adequate housing, and exposure to diseases in the hospital environment are all factors that limit the caregivers’ satisfaction with the care they provide, even when quality care and services have been offered to their sick loved ones [26,27].

Regarding the causes of altercations between caregivers and healthcare staff, communication breakdowns represent a leading cause of verbal aggression toward healthcare workers. These findings align with observations documented in Cameroon [29]. Yet information access remains a fundamental right for caregivers, underscoring the critical need to train clinical staff in ethical engagement with caregivers, as stipulated in patient attendant charters [23].

Patient abandonment or neglect was identified as a key driver of verbal violence between healthcare workers and caregivers. However, contrasting findings emerged from a seven-country European study [30]. In our setting, this discrepancy may reflect staffing shortages and ward overcrowding, which severely limit the time available for individual patient care [31].

Multivariate analysis revealed that sleep deprivation tripled the risk of verbal aggression toward healthcare workers, a finding consistent with prior observational studies [12,30]. This aligns with established evidence demonstrating that sleep deficiency impairs emotional regulation and increases irritability [32,33].

Knowledge of the patient’s diagnosis tripled the risk of verbal aggression toward healthcare staff, consistent with findings reported in Israel [12]. This association may stem from stress, depression, anxiety, or the fear of losing a loved one [34]. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors prevalent in our setting, including widespread financial insecurity, a lack of universal health coverage, and low health insurance enrollment, exacerbate tensions, resulting in targeted hostility toward. medical personnel [35].