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Effectiveness of Skill-Building Interventions for Informal Caregivers of Adults with Cancer: a Systematic Review

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Abstract

Over 19 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Informal caregivers of adults with cancer play an important role in helping their loved ones with cancer yet often receive little support in developing the necessary skills for caregiving. A systematic review of skill-building interventions for informal caregivers of adults with cancer was conducted across three electronic databases for academic articles published through February 2022. PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed throughout this review, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess study quality, and results were summarized in a narrative synthesis. The main components of skill-building interventions examined include caregiving preparedness, communication, and self-care. Nine of the 11 included articles showed that interventions effectively built skills for informal caregivers. The articles reviewed had a wide variety of intervention strategies, outcome measures, and study designs. Two of the 11 articles mentioned vulnerable and key groups, and no studies were performed in low- and middle-income countries. Findings generally support implementing skill-building interventions for informal caregivers of adults with cancer; however, further research is necessary to determine the most effective approaches for improving caregiver skills and reaching vulnerable and key populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    M. Courtney Hughes & Sadia Afrin

  2. University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Tamara Hamlish

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TH and MCH had the idea for the article. All authors performed the literature search and data analysis. All authors drafted and critically revised the work.

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Correspondence to M. Courtney Hughes.

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Hughes, M.C., Afrin, S. & Hamlish, T. Effectiveness of Skill-Building Interventions for Informal Caregivers of Adults with Cancer: a Systematic Review. J Canc Educ 38, 390–397 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-022-02236-x

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