SynthesisBMC geriatrics2024
Randomized controlled trials on promoting self-care behaviors among informal caregivers of older patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Development of and satisfaction with a short-term outpatient preventive medical service for working informal caregivers: a study protocol of a non-randomized prospective pilot study.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Factors Associated with the Need for Support Among Informal Caregivers During Prolonged Hospitalization.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Contribution of informal caregivers in the self-care of patients with coronary artery disease: a descriptive cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- A longitudinal comparative analysis of sustained benefit of a self-care intervention for caregivers of adults with heart failure.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Development and validation of a carer need screening tool (CNST-11) for carers of older adults: a need-stratified tool for services matching.The Gerontologist · 2025Article
- Self-care capacity of informal caregivers of older adults with dementia: quasi-experimental study.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2025Article
- "It seems like a never-ending job": voices of female caregivers of older adults in the rural communities.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Experiences in Coping with Stress-A Qualitative Study of Family Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInformal caregivers of older patients often neglect their self-care, despite the mental and physical health effects of caregiving. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on self-care interventions for informal caregivers are lacking, making it difficult to determine effective strategies. This systematic review explored the definition and categories of self-care RCTs for informal caregivers and a meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of these interventions.
methodsSeven databases (Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Embase) were searched for articles in English reporting on self-care intervention outcomes for informal caregivers of patients aged 60 years or older. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup, sensitivity, and publication bias analyses were conducted.
resultsEighteen studies were included in the systematic review, of which fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. RCTs lacked a clear definition of self-care, mainly focused on promoting physical and mental health and individual capacity, and neglected disease prevention. The interventions focused on self-management for health and individual agency, with less attention on health literacy, decision-making capacity, self-monitoring for health status, and linkage to the health system. Meta-analysis results showed that RCTs had a small effect on reducing anxiety (SMD = -0.142, 95% CI [-0.302, 0.017], p = .081) but a significant effect on reducing depression (SMD = -0.214, 95% CI [-0.353, -0.076], p = .002). Country and type of caregiver significantly contributed to the effect of reducing caregivers' depression in subgroup analysis.
conclusionsStudies on caregiver-centered self-care interventions are limited, resulting in a lack of a clear definition and comprehensive intervention. RCTs indicated a small effect on informal caregivers' mental health, and interventions should consider both mental and physical health. More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of self-care interventions for informal caregivers' anxiety and physical health.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.