Assessing caregiving tasks in dependent care: A systematic review instruments for formal and informal caregivers

The increase in chronic diseases, situations of dependency, population aging, and life expectancy has led to a rise in the demand for long-term care, making caregiving a central factor in social and healthcare systems. The purpose of this review was to identify, analyze, and group validated scales that assess caregiving tasks in formal and informal caregivers of dependent individuals. The study was conducted following the guidelines established by the PRISMA statement, with prior registration in PRÓSPERO, using searches in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Dialnet. The 36 studies included were evaluated using the COSMIN tool to measure the methodological quality and psychometric characteristics of the selected instruments. The findings show a high degree of conceptual and methodological heterogeneity, with scales identified based on three main areas: caregiving tasks, organization of care, and emotional and relational competencies. Although most instruments show adequate content validity and internal consistency, significant fragmentation is observed in cross-cultural validity, measurement error, and responsiveness. Furthermore, the creation of instruments in specific cultural and institutional settings predominates, which limits their generalizability. In conclusion, the evaluation of caregiving tasks remains partial and requires more integrative tools that are sensitive to the social, cultural, and organizational context, which will improve the quality of care, guide professional practice, and support the design of sustainable public policies in the field of dependency.