Caregivers' experiences of caring for non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic: A qualitative systematic review.

Abstract

To investigate caregivers' experiences of caring for non-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients to determine their challenges and needs. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, CINAHL, and ClinicalKey) were searched from January 2020 to June 2022. Two authors independently reviewed all studies for eligibility and extracted information on the study aim, sample characteristics, study design, data collection, analysis methods, and so on. Finally, 13 studies were included. Four themes were determined: impacts on physical and psychosocial well-being of caregivers, perceived risk of the virus, negative impacts on employment and financial statuses, and changes in support networks. This is the first qualitative systematic review to describe caregivers' experiences of caring for non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. The four themes should be focused on to ease caregivers' physical, psychological, and financial burdens; to provide them with better assistance in terms of formal and informal supports to cope with the epidemic more effectively; and to ensure that their loved ones are much healthier. The findings can be used by healthcare policymakers, social policymakers, and governments to better support caregivers of non-COVID-19 patients. Additionally, it provides suggestions for related medical institutions to pay more attention to caregivers' experiences.