Reviews
Challenges for Caregiver of Patients with a Left Ventricular Assist Device in Home Care Support: A Literature Review
2017 Volume 37 Pages 374-382
Details
2017 Volume 37 Pages 374-382
Objective: The purpose of this study was to reveal the research trends in the domain of Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) patients’ caregivers and to examine home care support.
Method: We examined the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Ichushi-Web databases to find English/Japanese articles on the topic of “VAD” and “caregivers.” A literature review of 25 published articles was conducted in July 2016.
Result: The research trends were subdivided into three categories: “experience of caregivers,” “the role of caregivers in self-care and education of VAD patients,” and “challenges faced by caregivers with regard to decision making support and end of life.” Common burdens of the caregiver in all three aspects have been shown; however, the reporting of specific supporting research was not present.
Conclusion: We need to clarify the experience of VAD caregivers in the Japanese context, and improve research on home care support intended to reduce their burden.
