ArticleJournal of clinical nursing2019
The effect of volunteers' care and support on the health outcomes of older adults in acute care: A systematic scoping review.
Article in Journal of clinical nursing, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07182747 (Feasibility of a Multidisciplinary Intervention Programme Carried Out by Nursing and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Students to Improve Frailty and Other Related Variables in Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes.), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Feasibility of a Multidisciplinary Intervention Programme Carried Out by Nursing and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Students to Improve Frailty and Other Related Variables in Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Observational
- Socio-psychological distress, violence, and food insecurity in women undergoing gynecological examinations: insights from a cross-sectional study of an Italian Tertiary Clinic.AJOG global reports · 2025Article
- From bonding to action: The influence of generalized and interpersonal trust on voluntary membership among European adults.PloS one · 2025Article
- Policy implementation deviation of government purchase of old age care services in Jiangsu, China: based on empirical and policy analysis.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Are Energy and Protein Intakes Lower Than Requirements in Older Adults? An Urgent Issue in Hospitals and Nursing Homes.Nutrients · 2023Article
- The effect of volunteer-led activities on the quality of life of volunteers, residents, and employees of a long-term care institution: a cohort study.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- The ICU Bridge Program: volunteers bridging medicine and people together.Critical care (London, England) · 2022Review
- Article
- Navigating cancer treatment and care when living with comorbid dementia: an ethnographic study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Article
- Can volunteer medical visit companions support older adults in the United States?BMC geriatrics · 2021Article
- The effect of volunteers' care and support on the health outcomes of older adults in acute care: A systematic scoping review.Journal of clinical nursing · 2019Article
- Structural Model of Family Caregiver for Elderly with Dementia.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
- Exploring the Role of Volunteer Organizations in Developing Italy's Community-Based Care Model.International journal of integrated careArticle
- Norwegian Nurses' Reflections Upon Experiences of Ethical Challenges in Older People Care: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis.SAGE open nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo examine the available evidence on the effects of care and support provided by volunteers on the health outcomes of older adults in acute care services.
backgroundAcute hospital inpatient populations are becoming older, and this presents the potential for poorer health outcomes. Factors such as chronic health conditions, polypharmacy and cognitive and functional decline are associated with increased risk of health care-related harm, such as falls, delirium and poor nutrition. To minimise the risk of health care-related harm, volunteer programmes to support patient care have been established in many hospitals worldwide.
designA systematic scoping review.
methodsThe review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) (File S1). Nine databases were searched (CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect and JBI) using the following key terms: 'hospital', 'volunteer', 'sitter', 'acute care', 'older adults', 'confusion', 'dementia' and 'frail'. The search was limited to papers written in English and published from 2002-2017. Inclusion criteria were studies involving the use of hospital volunteers in the care or support of older adult patients aged ≥ 65 years, or ≥ 50 years for Indigenous peoples, with chronic health conditions, cognitive impairment and/or physical decline or frailty, within the acute inpatient settings.
resultsOf the 199 articles identified, 17 articles that met the inclusion criteria were critically appraised for quality, and 12 articles were included in the final review.
conclusionsThere is evidence that the provision of volunteer care and support with eating and drinking, mobilising and therapeutic activities can impact positively upon patient health outcomes related to nutrition, falls and delirium. Further robust research is needed to determine the impact of volunteers in acute care and the specific care activities that can contribute to the best outcomes for older adults. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Volunteers can play a valuable role in supporting care delivery by nurses and other health professionals in acute care services, and their contribution can improve health outcomes for older adults in this setting.
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