Assessing the needs of informal caregivers of patients with chronic non-communicable diseases: A systematic review of self-assessment tools.

AIM: To synthesize self-administrated needs assessment tools of informal caregivers for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), evaluate the quality of psychometric properties and identify main needs assessment themes. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Eight electronic databases both in English and Chinese were searched for. The psychometric properties of tools were evaluated according to the quality criteria for good psychometric properties developed by Terwee et al. Both the content analysis and thematic extraction methods were used. Needs assessment themes were categorized based on the 7-level Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. RESULTS: A total of 17 tools were synthesized. Thirteen of them targeted informal caregivers of patients with cancer. The psychometric properties evaluated for most of these tools were content validity, internal consistency and construct validity. A total of 27 needs themes were identified and matched to six levels based on the 7-level Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, besides the aesthetic needs level. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No primary data are being collected.

Positive experiences of family caregivers of patients with chronic heart failure: protocol for a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have highlighted the experiences of caregivers for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), specifically focusing on their negative experiences. There are few systematic reviews on the topic to synthesise the positive experiences of family caregivers for patients with CHF. This study will examine how experiences such as developing new skills, strengthening their relationships (between caregivers and recipients) and receiving appreciation from the care recipient assist to improve caregivers' perception of their circumstances. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative systematic reviews. Qualitative and mixed methods studies related to the positive experiences of family caregivers for patients with CHF, reported in English or Chinese and published from inception in the following databases will be included: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Wan Fang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Open Grey and Deep Blue Library databases. The standard JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research will be used by two independent reviewers to appraise the quality of the included studies, and the standardised JBI Qualitative Data Extraction Tool for Qualitative Research will be applied to extract data. The final synthesised findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach for establishing confidence in the output of qualitative research synthesis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required as no primary data are being collected. The results will be made available through a peer-reviewed publication. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021282159.