Caregivers of people at the end of life: emerging evidence

This review aims to identify and highlight recent evidence from studies that aim to improve outcomes for caregivers of patients living with life-limiting progressive conditions. It appears that although the volume and quality of studies reporting outcomes for this population is increasing, there is still a paucity of evidence that has reliable quality and can inform policy and practice.

One trial has been reported, which found that a one-to-one psychoeducational intervention found no change in distress at 1 week after intervention but found improvements in preparedness and competence. Follow-up data at 8 weeks found that distress worsened significantly less for those with one home visit but surprisingly not for those who received two visits (in this three-arm trial) compared with controls.

Although the evidence of outcome studies is small, the research agenda is broadening to include nontraditional families and caregivers in low-and middle-income countries.The recent trial of psychoeducational interventions suggests that longer-term benefits are present.