Effectiveness of non-medical interventions on caregiver burden of stroke survivors: a systematic review

Background/Aims With an increasing number of stroke survivors, the need for caregiving has increased. Caregiver burden is the physical and mental strain that caregivers experience as a result of caring for individuals with physical and psychosocial disabilities. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on the caregiver burden of stroke survivors. Methods Four databases, including PubMed Central, ProQuest, Scopus, and EMBASE were systematically searched from 2000 to 2023. Randomised controlled trials were included if they investigated the effectiveness of different interventions on the burden of care in stroke survivors, had been published in peer-reviewed journals and published in the English language. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro scale). The study has been registered in the PROSPERO database (reference: CRD42023458042). Results A total of 24 randomised controlled trials were included. Interventions were categorised into three categories: interventions that directly addressed caregiver burden; interventions focusing on stroke survivors with an examination of the impacts on caregiver burden; and interventions carried out for both stroke survivors and their caregivers. Conclusions Interventions that focused on both stroke survivors and caregivers where there is close interaction between allied health professionals, stroke survivors and their caregivers, can be more effective in reducing caregiving burden and enhancing caregivers' adaptive skills, compared to interventions provided in the form of telephone contact or booklets. implications for practice The findings can support allied health professionals to design the most effective interventions to address the caregiver burden in stroke survivors.