Nursing Support for Caregiver Burden in Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer: A Scoping Review.

The search was limited to studies published in Japanese and English. The review did not assess methodological quality. The conclusion is based on mapping nursing support rather than proving effectiveness. Studies were included only if at least 80% of participants were patients with cancer, so caregiver burden in other populations was not covered. Cancer stages were broad, so effects by disease characteristics could not be determined. Caregiver burden was not operationally defined to separate subjective and objective burden. Many interventions were combined with usual care or multidisciplinary support, so the contribution of any single component cannot be isolated.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding came from JSPS KAKENHI grant 21H03236, and the study received guidance from the National Center Consortium in Implementation Science for Health Equity, funded by the Japan Health Research Promotion Bureau Research Fund and project fund.

Do not read the included positive studies as proof that nursing support reduces caregiver burden. This scoping review did not assess methodological quality or effectiveness, many interventions were combined with usual care or multidisciplinary support, and telephone-based interventions showed no improvement.