Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39342397›Full record

SynthesisSystematic reviews2024

Effectiveness of interventions for informal caregivers of people with end-stage chronic illness: a systematic review.

K McGuigan, G Laurente, A Christie, C Carswell, C Moran, M M Yaqoob, S Bolton, R Mullan, S Rej, P Gilbert and 7 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
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  5. Article
  6. Article
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  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

K McGuiganSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0607-7936
G LaurenteSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.
A ChristieSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.
C CarswellSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3781-3286
C MoranWestern Health and Social Care Trust, Londonderry, UK.
M M YaqoobBarts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9904-127X
S BoltonNorthern Health and Social Care Trust, Antrim, UK.
R MullanNorthern Health and Social Care Trust, Antrim, UK.
S RejFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3908-9124
P GilbertNorthern Ireland Kidney Patient Association, Belfast, UK.
C McKeaveneySchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2988-866X
C McVeighSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9691-6766
C TierneySchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.
J ReidSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5820-862X
I WalshSchool of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3750-2499
T ForbesSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK. trisha.forbes@qub.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-2047-2956
H NobleSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5190-8399

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPeople living with advanced, non-malignant chronic conditions often have extensive and complex care needs. Informal or family caregivers often provide the care and support needed by those with advanced chronic conditions at home. These informal caregivers experience many challenges associated with their caring role, which can impact their own wellbeing. Whilst there is growing evidence around the impact on carers, guidance on support for informal caregivers of patients with advanced, non-malignant, chronic conditions is lacking, with little evidence available on effective psychosocial carer interventions. This systematic review explored existing interventions for caregivers of those with advanced, non-malignant, chronic illness, in order to assess the effectiveness of these interventions in improving psychosocial outcomes.

methodsElectronic databases, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, were searched up to the end of March 2023. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria, focusing on interventions to improve psychosocial outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, quality of life, and caregiver burden, in this cohort of caregivers were included. Data were extracted regarding study setting, design, methods, intervention components, and outcomes. Risk of bias and quality assessment were conducted.

resultsA total of 5281 articles were screened, ultimately identifying 12 studies for inclusion, reported in 13 publications. A narrative synthesis revealed mixed results. Psychosocial interventions resulted in more significant improvements in psychosocial outcomes than psychoeducational or support interventions, with interventions for carer-patient dyads also reflecting more positive outcomes for caregivers. Evidence-based interventions, guided by an appropriate theoretical model, were reportedly more effective in improving caregiver outcomes. Differences in outcomes were related to intervention development, design, delivery, and outcome assessment.

conclusionsThis review, to our knowledge, is the first to explore the effectiveness of interventions in improving psychosocial outcomes for caregivers of those with advanced, non-malignant, chronic conditions. The review highlights the need for more robust, sufficiently powered, high-quality trials of evidence-based interventions for caregivers of people with advanced chronic illness. Optimal intervention duration and frequency of sessions are unclear and need further exploration.

Indexed as

CaregiversQuality of LifeAnxietyCaregiver BurdenChronic DiseaseDepressionHumansSocial SupportAdvancedCaregiversChronic illnessInterventionPsychosocialSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID39342397
PMCPMC11438131

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.