Nursing Interventions to Support Family Caregivers of Patients on Haemodialysis: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

The review combined very different study designs, interventions, populations and outcome measures, so it could not pool results in a meta-analysis or apply GRADE. Quality appraisal used MMAT scores, and the authors note that the MMAT developers caution against relying on a single global score. Many included studies did not clearly describe who delivered the intervention, their qualifications, training or fidelity. Most studies came from Iran or other Middle Eastern settings, and caregivers were often younger than typical Western caregiver populations, limiting transferability. Interventions were short, lasting 1 to 6 months, and long-term effects, especially on caregiver burden, were unclear. Some randomised studies lacked assessor blinding or clear randomisation details, and non-randomised studies had bias-reduction limitations. Qualitative findings describe experiences and coping themes. They do not show that an intervention caused improved outcomes.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report a funding source.

Do not conclude that nurse-delivered education alone reliably reduces caregiver burden. The review included heterogeneous interventions, many combined education with coping, relaxation, social support or exercise, and caregiver burden results were mixed, with some effects fading after 1 month.