A systematic review of interventions for family caregivers who care for patients with advanced cancer at home.
Soojung Ahn, Rafael D Romo, Cathy L Campbell
PMID 32201172WHAT IT FOUND
Home-based support for family caregivers of advanced cancer patients improved distress, burden, and caregiving competence.
However, results varied by outcome, attrition was high, and no single intervention type was proven superior to others.
Key findings
01Interventions showed positive effects on reducing psychological distress, though not consistently across all time points.
02Educational and psycho-educational interventions improved self-efficacy and competence, but these gains did not last beyond six months.
03High attrition rates and inconsistent measurement tools across studies limit the certainty of these findings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
High attrition rates in the included studies make it difficult to determine long-term effectiveness. Inconsistent use of outcome measures across studies prevents direct comparison of intervention types. The review excluded non-English articles and grey literature, which may introduce reporting bias. Many studies had unclear or high risk of bias due to inability to blind participants and personnel. The evidence is limited to caregivers of advanced cancer patients at home and may not apply to other conditions or settings.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that any single type of intervention (educational vs. psychosocial) is superior, as the review could not directly compare their efficacy due to inconsistent measures and mixed results.