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Background: Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, partially owing to their compromised immune systems and curbed or cut cancer healthcare services caused by the pandemic. As a result, cancer caregivers may have to shoulder triple crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, pronounced healthcare needs from the patient, and elevated need for care from within. While technology-based health interventions have the potential to address unique challenges cancer caregivers face amid COVID-19, limited insights are available. Thus, to bridge this gap, we aim to identify technology-based interventions designed for cancer caregivers and report the characteristics and effects of these interventions concerning cancer caregivers' distinctive challenges amid COVID-19.
Methods: A systematic search of the literature will be conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus from the database inception to the end of March, 2021. Articles that center on technology-based interventions for cancer caregivers will be included in the review. The search strategy will be developed in consultation with an academic librarian who is experienced in systematic review studies. Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles will be screened against eligibility criteria developed . The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses procedures will be followed for the reporting process.
Conclusions: COVID-19 has upended cancer care as we know it. Findings of this study can shed light on evidence-based and practical solutions cancer caregivers can utilize to mitigate the unique challenges they face amid COVID-19. Furthermore, results of this study will also offer valuable insights for researchers who aim to develop interventions for cancer caregivers in the context of COVID-19. In addition, we also expect to be able to identify areas for improvement that need to be addressed in order for health experts to more adequately help cancer caregivers weather the storm of global health crises like COVID-19 and beyond.
Study Protocol Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020196301.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7480034 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-66218/v2 | DOI Listing |
BMJ Support Palliat Care
September 2025
Department of Family Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea (the Republic of)
Objective: Family caregivers (FCs) play a critical role in supporting terminal cancer patients; however, they often experience significant emotional, physical and financial burdens. While social support may help reduce this burden, research specifically examining its impact during end-of-life care remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between social support and subjective care burden among FCs of terminal cancer patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJCO Clin Cancer Inform
September 2025
USC Institute of Urology and Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Purpose: To evaluate a generative artificial intelligence (GAI) framework for creating readable lay abstracts and summaries (LASs) of urologic oncology research, while maintaining accuracy, completeness, and clarity, for the purpose of assessing their comprehension and perception among patients and caregivers.
Methods: Forty original abstracts (OAs) on prostate, bladder, kidney, and testis cancers from leading journals were selected. LASs were generated using a free GAI tool, with three versions per abstract for consistency.
Int J Nurs Stud
August 2025
End-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Family Medicine and Chronic Care, Belgium.
Background: Advanced cancer impacts the lives of both patients and their family caregivers. They often experience substantial declines in quality of life and physical, emotional, and spiritual distress that generate significant unmet psychosocial care needs. These effects are interrelated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pediatr Nurs
September 2025
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address:
Background And Purpose: Siblings of children with chronic health conditions face unique psychosocial challenges, yet their voices remain underrepresented in research. While existing studies primarily rely only on parental proxy reports of sibling well-being or focus on experiences of older siblings or are confined to specific conditions like cancer, there is limited understanding of siblings' experiences more broadly from their voice. This study investigated the experiences of siblings of children with chronic health conditions in Australia from both sibling and parental perspectives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJCO Glob Oncol
May 2025
Department of Medical Oncology, Dr B.R.A. Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Purpose: Gender bias against girls may affect health-seeking behavior and outcomes of childhood cancer. This study aimed to study the nature and extent of gender bias in health care among caregivers of childhood patients with cancer and also in community.
Methods: This cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in a tertiary cancer hospital and an urban community between July 2021 and July 2023.