School of Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 18;19(20):13455. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013455.
To identify, critically appraise and synthesise the qualitative literature on the experiences of informal carers of people with long-term conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A qualitative systematic literature review.
Eight electronic databases were systematically searched (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Nursing and Allied Health and ASSIA) along with Google Scholar and handsearching via secondary sources.
Eligible studies had to include the experiences of informal carers (adults who are 65 or older), use a qualitative methodology and had to be written in English.
Retrieved papers were quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist and ranked for quality. Thematic analysis was used to synthesise the findings.
Fourteen studies were included, all from medical or nursing journals ( = 5 specifically gerontology). Four main themes were identified: (i) fear, (ii) uncertainty, (iii) burden and (iv) staying connected. Caregiving demands have increased for carers during the pandemic, as well as negative emotions such as fear and uncertainty. At the same time, less social support has been available, leading to concerns about carers' wellbeing and ability to cope.
Carers' needs have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Greater practical and emotional support is needed for carers from both formal services and community sources that considers their changing needs and offers educational and emotional support for long-term wellbeing. Strengths and Limitations: (1) This is the first systematic review to explore in depth the experiences of informal carers caring for people with a range of long-term conditions and from an international context. (2) The review includes an analysis of the quality of the studies, as well as a study of their relative contributions. (3) Further research is needed to explore the physical, emotional and financial impact of the pandemic for bereaved carers which is not captured in this review due to the lack of empirical data available at the time of review.
识别、批判性评价并综合关于在 COVID-19 大流行期间，照顾患有长期疾病的人的非正式照顾者的经验的定性文献。
定性系统文献综述。
系统地在 8 个电子数据库（Medline、Embase、CINAHL、PubMed、PsychINFO、Web of Science、Nursing and Allied Health 和 ASSIA）以及 Google Scholar 和通过次要来源的手工检索中进行搜索。
符合条件的研究必须包括非正式照顾者（年龄在 65 岁或以上的成年人）的经验，使用定性方法，并且必须用英文书写。
使用批判性评价技能计划定性清单对检索到的论文进行质量评估，并对质量进行排名。使用主题分析对研究结果进行综合。
共纳入 14 项研究，均来自医学或护理期刊（= 5 项专门针对老年病学）。确定了四个主要主题：（i）恐惧，（ii）不确定性，（iii）负担和（iv）保持联系。大流行期间，照顾者的护理需求增加，同时也出现了恐惧和不确定性等负面情绪。与此同时，社会支持减少，这引起了对照顾者健康和应对能力的关注。
COVID-19 大流行使照顾者的需求更加恶化。非正式照顾者需要来自正式服务和社区来源的更多实际和情感支持，这些支持应考虑到他们不断变化的需求，并为长期健康提供教育和情感支持。
（1）这是首次系统综述，深入探讨了来自国际背景下照顾各种长期疾病患者的非正式照顾者的经验。（2）本综述包括对研究质量的分析，以及对研究相对贡献的研究。（3）由于审查时缺乏可用的经验数据，因此进一步研究需要探索大流行对丧亲照顾者的身体、情感和经济影响，这在本综述中未包括。
