Burden of Care and Quality of Life Among Caregivers for Adults Receiving Maintenance Dialysis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Dialysis is a burdensome and complex treatment for which many recipients require support from caregivers. The impact of caring for people dependent on dialysis on the quality of life of the caregivers has been incompletely characterized. Study Design: Systematic review of quantitative studies of quality of life and burden to caregivers. Setting & Study Population: Caregivers of adults receiving maintenance dialysis. Selection Criteria for Studies: The Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and MEDLINE were systematically searched from inception until December 2016 for quantitative studies of caregivers. Pediatric and non-English language studies were excluded. Study quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Data Extraction: 2 independent reviewers selected studies and extracted data using a prespecified extraction instrument. Complete author and article information provided before references.

Informal caregivers of people undergoing haemodialysis: Associations between activities and burden

“…A recent systematic review found that few studies have examined the burden of informal caregivers of people undergoing either haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (Hoang et al 2018). Informal caregiver burden has been reported as being between medium to high levels (Mollaoglu et al 2013;Avşar et al 2015;Cantekin et al 2016;Gilbertson et al 2018). Informal caregivers, who are young, have higher education levels and spend more time in caring for their family-member with ESKD, reported greater levels of burden (Mollaoglu et al 2013;Bayoumi 2014).…”

Association between exercise training in haemodialysis patients and burden of their family caregivers: A cross‐sectional study

“…Advances in the HD treatment of patients with end‐stage renal disease have provided significant improvements in their health, quality of life and survival; however, interventions targeting their caregivers are often neglected. These caregivers are often family members and responsible for providing comprehensive care . Some studies have found high caregiver burden levels assessed from the perspective of the patient and caregiver .…”

“…These caregivers are often family members and responsible for providing comprehensive care . Some studies have found high caregiver burden levels assessed from the perspective of the patient and caregiver . In this context, Suri et al .…”

“…Another finding of this study was that caregivers of HD patients submitted to intradialytic exercise exhibited better quality of life and lower anxiety and depression levels when compared to caregivers of patients undergoing usual dialysis treatment. Quality of life and anxiety and depression in the caregivers of these patients are probably linked to lower stress levels, better sleep quality, smaller workload, less fatigue and more social interaction …”

“…The workload involved in caring for HD patients has a significant impact on the lives of caregivers, who are often family members . In this context, several studies conducted to evaluate caregivers of HD patients have confirmed high rates of caregiver burden, impaired quality of life, high depression and anxiety levels and poor sleep quality . A recent systematic review showed that quality of life and burden of caregivers of dialysis are worse than in the general population and comparable to caregivers of patients with other chronic diseases .…”