Assessing the needs of informal caregivers of patients with chronic non-communicable diseases: A systematic review of self-assessment tools

Abstract

Aim: To synthesize self-administrated needs assessment tools of informal caregivers for patients with chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), evaluate the quality of psychometric properties and identify main needs assessment themes. Design: Systematic review. Methods: Eight electronic databases both in English and Chinese were searched for. The psychometric properties of tools were evaluated according to the quality criteria for good psychometric properties developed by Terwee et al. Both the content analysis and thematic extraction methods were used. Needs assessment themes were categorized based on the 7-level Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. Results: A total of 17 tools were synthesized. Thirteen of them targeted informal caregivers of patients with cancer. The psychometric properties evaluated for most of these tools were content validity, internal consistency and construct validity. A total of 27 needs themes were identified and matched to six levels based on the 7-level Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, besides the aesthetic needs level. No Patient or Public Contribution: No primary data are being collected.