Quality of Life in Caregivers, Spouses, and Partners of Total Laryngectomees: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to (a) review methods used to assess quality of life (QOL) in caregivers, partners, and spouses of those who have undergone total laryngectomy (TL); (b) identify patterns in caregiver QOL changes postoperatively; and (c) review previously proposed interventions for caregivers.

METHOD

PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL Complete were searched using the Medical Subject Heading terms , , , and . Two reviewers independently screened and identified records meeting inclusion criteria. This scoping review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

RESULTS

Initial search returned 143 results and 12 met inclusion criteria. Eight studies assessed postoperative QOL changes in categories such as psychological health, physical health, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships. Four studies proposed interventions for caregivers perioperatively. There were no consistently used inventories, and only one intervention was formally tested.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature available on TL caregiver QOL contains inconsistent inventories and study design. There are few interventions available, and it would be beneficial to develop a standardized QOL inventory for this population to better target caregiver needs.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19287887.