Personalizing Care for Informal Heart Failure Caregivers: Challenges and Practical Implications

To summarize articles describing how to personalize care for heart failure (HF) informal caregivers on the basis of the literature review results. We also describe informal caregivers' preferences and wishes regarding personalized care.

Recent interventions to support informal caregivers were delivered face-to-face or online in group or individual sessions. The sessions embraced various elements, including coaching on setting personalized goals and developing problem-solving strategies. The interventions improved a range of variables, such as caregiver burden, quality of life, depression, stress and anxiety. Informal caregivers described personalized care as being in a partnership, clear communication and coordination of care. Several intervention studies reported positive caregiver effects; however, they were small, and sometimes, the interventions were only briefly described. A deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the experiences and needs of informal caregivers is essential before new tailored interventions can be developed.