OpenLab, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M4P 1E4, Canada.
Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 10;19(10):5826. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105826.
Despite growing international interest, the caregiving body of literature lacks a recent understanding of young carers' experiences and their contact with the health care system. We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies to (1) synthesize more recent qualitative evidence on young carers' experience, and (2) to identify how these young carers interact with the health care system in their caregiving role. Using a meta-ethnographic synthesis, a total of 28 empirical studies met inclusion. Key findings helped inform an overarching framework of the experience of young carers as illustrated by a journey map. The journey map is a visual depiction of the stages these young carers go through when in a caregiving role framed by three themes: (1) encountering caregiving; (2) being a young caregiver, and (3) moving beyond caregiving. The caregiving experience is perceived by young people as challenging and complex, which could be improved with more informational navigation and emotional support. Understanding these experiences provides insight into gaps in health services and potential solutions that align with the stages outlined in the journey map.
尽管国际上对此兴趣日益浓厚，但在照顾者文献领域，对于年轻照顾者的经验及其与医疗保健系统的接触，仍缺乏最新的了解。我们进行了一项系统评价，以综合最近有关年轻照顾者体验的定性证据，并确定这些年轻照顾者在其照顾角色中与医疗保健系统的互动方式。使用元人种学综合方法，共有 28 项实证研究符合纳入标准。主要发现有助于告知一个总体框架，该框架通过旅程图说明了年轻照顾者的体验。旅程图是一个视觉描述，描绘了年轻照顾者在照顾角色中经历的阶段，由三个主题构成：（1）遇到照顾；（2）成为年轻的照顾者；（3）超越照顾。年轻人认为照顾体验具有挑战性且复杂，如果能提供更多的信息导航和情感支持，情况可能会有所改善。了解这些体验可以洞察卫生服务中的差距以及与旅程图中概述的阶段相契合的潜在解决方案。
