Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 1;10(1):43.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-021-01592-x.

Technology-based health solutions for cancer caregivers to better shoulder the impact of COVID-19: a systematic review protocol

Zhaohui Su  1 , Dean McDonnell  2 , Bin Liang  3 , Jennifer Kue  4 , Xiaoshan Li  5 , Sabina Šegalo  6 , Shailesh Advani  7 , Bertha E Flores  8 , Jing Wang  9
Affiliations

Technology-based health solutions for cancer caregivers to better shoulder the impact of COVID-19: a systematic review protocol

Zhaohui Su et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, partially owing to their compromised immune systems and curbed or cut cancer healthcare services caused by the pandemic. As a result, cancer caregivers may have to shoulder triple crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, pronounced healthcare needs from the patient, and elevated need for care from within. While technology-based health interventions have the potential to address unique challenges cancer caregivers face amid COVID-19, limited insights are available. Thus, to bridge this gap, we aim to identify technology-based interventions designed for cancer caregivers and report the characteristics and effects of these interventions concerning cancer caregivers' distinctive challenges amid COVID-19.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature will be conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus from the database inception to the end of March 2021. Articles that center on technology-based interventions for cancer caregivers will be included in the review. The search strategy will be developed in consultation with an academic librarian who is experienced in systematic review studies. Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles will be screened against eligibility criteria developed a priori. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses procedures will be followed for the reporting process.

Conclusions: COVID-19 has upended cancer care as we know it. Findings of this study can shed light on evidence-based and practical solutions cancer caregivers can utilize to mitigate the unique challenges they face amid COVID-19. Furthermore, results of this study will also offer valuable insights for researchers who aim to develop interventions for cancer caregivers in the context of COVID-19. In addition, we also expect to be able to identify areas for improvement that need to be addressed in order for health experts to more adequately help cancer caregivers weather the storm of global health crises like COVID-19 and beyond. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020196301.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cancer caregivers; Cancer patients; Coronavirus; Digital health solutions; Systematic review protocol; Technology-based interventions; Telemedicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Update of

References

    1. Cancino RS, et al. The Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Screening: Challenges and Opportunities. JMIR Cancer. 2020;6(2):e21697. doi: 10.2196/21697. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Robilotti EV, Babady NE, Mead PA, Rolling T, Perez-Johnston R, Bernardes M, Bogler Y, Caldararo M, Figueroa CJ, Glickman MS, Joanow A, Kaltsas A, Lee YJ, Lucca A, Mariano A, Morjaria S, Nawar T, Papanicolaou GA, Predmore J, Redelman-Sidi G, Schmidt E, Seo SK, Sepkowitz K, Shah MK, Wolchok JD, Hohl TM, Taur Y, Kamboj M. Determinants of COVID-19 disease severity in patients with cancer. Nat Med. 2020;26(8):1218–23. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0979-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang Y, Duan Z, Ma Z, Mao Y, Li X, Wilson A, Qin H, Ou J, Peng K, Zhou F, Li C, Liu Z, Chen R. Epidemiology of mental health problems among patients with cancer during COVID-19 pandemic. Transl Psychiat. 2020;10(1). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jordan RE, Adab P, Cheng KK. Covid-19: Risk factors for severe disease and death. BMJ. 2020;368:m1198. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m1198. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020;323(13):1239–1242. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.2648. - DOI - PubMed