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. 2021 Feb;27(1):55-72.
doi: 10.1177/1074840720977180. Epub 2020 Dec 17.

Family Caregiver Support of Patient Self-Management During Chronic, Life-Limiting Illness: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Dena Schulman-Green  1 , Shelli L Feder  2 , J Nicholas Dionne-Odom  3 , Janene Batten  4 , Victoria Jane En Long  5 , Yolanda Harris  3 , Abigail Wilpers  6 , Tiffany Wong  7 , Robin Whittemore  2
Affiliations

Family Caregiver Support of Patient Self-Management During Chronic, Life-Limiting Illness: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Dena Schulman-Green et al. J Fam Nurs. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Family caregivers play an integral role in supporting patient self-management, yet how they perform this role is unclear. We conducted a qualitative metasynthesis of family caregivers' processes to support patient self-management of chronic, life-limiting illness and factors affecting their support. Methods included a systematic literature search, quality appraisal of articles, data abstraction, and data synthesis to produce novel themes. Thirty articles met inclusion criteria, representing 935 international family caregivers aged 18 to 89 years caring for patients with various health conditions. Three themes characterized family caregivers' processes to support patient self-management: "Focusing on the Patient's Illness Needs," "Activating Resources to Support Oneself as the Family Caregiver," and "Supporting a Patient Living with a Chronic, Life-Limiting Illness." Factors affecting family caregivers' support included Personal Characteristics, Health Status, Resources, Environmental Characteristics, and the Health Care System. The family caregiver role in supporting patient self-management is multidimensional, encompassing three processes of care and influenced by multiple factors.

Keywords: chronic illness; family caregiver; life-limiting; metasynthesis; qualitative; self-management.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram. Source. Moher et al. (2009). Note. For more information, visit http://www.prisma-statement.org.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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