Educational Programs for Family Caregivers in Palliative Care: A Literature Review

Abstract

Aim: To analyse the literature about educational programs aimed towards empowering caregivers of patients in palliative care (PC) attending to the conceptual difference between programs and psychosocial interventions. Results: Eight studies were identified and analysed concerning subject matter, measurement instruments, location, results, strategy and duration of the programs. All educational programs addressed issues related to the context of end of life; Program duration ranged from three weeks to two years, and took place in the community and in hospital or PC centres; all programs evaluated their respective impact using various measurement instruments. Conclusions:This review testifies the lack of publications regarding programs designed and developed to support family caregivers in PC. It is shown that caregivers benefit from support groups and educational programs to promote information and caregiver training, but perhaps the lack of funding for this kind of interventions can affect the caregiver's treatment.

Comparison of palliative care education for family caregivers in high-and-low-income countries: An integrative review

“…A proper training or education program given to family caregivers can significantly increase their comfort with caregiving roles, assist with closure, and gain caregivers’ confidence (Kwak et al, 2007 ). However, there is a limitation in publications concerning education for family caregivers, suggesting that there may be limited findings to support such studies (Reigada et al, 2014 ). Previous reviews indicate that demographic characteristics, particularly gender, play a significant role in determining the most appropriate setting for educational programs.…”

“…Previous reviews have been conducted to explore interventions that support family caregivers (Ahn et al, 2020 ; Hudson et al, 2010 ; Li et al, 2021 ), including educational interventions (Bilgin & Ozdemir, 2022 ; Phongtankuel et al, 2018 ; Reigada et al, 2014 ). However, these reviews revealed that the majority of evidence was retrieved from HICs, highlighting the need for diversity in information from various ethical, cultural, and economic backgrounds (Ahn et al, 2020 ; Hudson et al, 2010 ; Li et al, 2021 ).…”

Palliative care education and training in Liberia: A qualitative exploration of current state and challenges to further development

“…As a result, data were verbatim transcribed following each interview. The transcript results were entered into NVivo 12 plus to complete an iterative analysis process (Martins Pereira et al, 2011 ; Reigada et al, 2014 ). Individual interviews were recorded during the online discussion using a Sony digital flash memory voice recorder and phone recorder.…”