Informal Family Caregiving of Patients with Diabetic Extremity Wounds: An Integrative Review

Annually, 26 million people worldwide develop diabetic extremity wounds, adversely impacting the lives of patients and their family caregivers, who provide vital health assistance to these patients. This integrative review synthesized scientific literature of informal caregiving experiences for pati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Western Journal of Nursing Research 2023-03, Vol.45 (3), p.272-281
Main Authors: Doss, Elizabeth R., Popejoy, Lori L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregiver Burden
Caregivers
Caregiving
Communication
Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus
Employment
Extremities
Family
Family support
Foot diseases
Guilt
Health education
Health information
Health status
Helplessness
Humans
Leg ulcers
Lesions
Literature reviews
Pain
Patients
Qualitative research
Quality of Life
Social Support
Wound healing
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Summary:Annually, 26 million people worldwide develop diabetic extremity wounds, adversely impacting the lives of patients and their family caregivers, who provide vital health assistance to these patients. This integrative review synthesized scientific literature of informal caregiving experiences for patients with diabetic extremity wounds. Five databases were searched for relevant English-language quantitative or qualitative research; ten studies were included in the final analysis. The caregiving experience included disrupted routines, frustration, guilt, poor health care communication, helplessness, and anxiety. Increased caregiver burden and decreased quality of life were associated with higher patient amputation level, worsening wound appearance and patient pain, poor health care communication, lack of social support and/or caregiving help, and lack of caregiver employment outside the home. Future research opportunities include further exploration of caregiver tasks and priorities, caregiving experiences in settings lacking family support structures and equitable health system access, and relationships between the caregiver experience and patient health system utilization.
ISSN:0193-9459
1552-8456
DOI:10.1177/01939459221115694