Is the Active Involvement of Family Caregivers in Adult Hospital Care Effective to Improve Patient Outcomes? A Systematic Review

Aim To investigate the effects of active involvement of family caregivers in adult in‐hospital care on patients' readmissions, complications, mortality, length of hospital stay, quality of life, psychological distress and activities of daily living, as well as on the satisfaction of patients, HCPs and family caregivers. Design Systematic review. Data Sources Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, EBSCO CINAHL, Cochrane Library (from inception to February 2024). Methods The PRISMA 2020 statement was followed. Prospective controlled studies focusing on active involvement of family caregivers in adult in‐hospital care were included. Two independent teams of authors conducted study selection, quality assessment and data extraction. Results Thirteen studies were included, comprising 11 randomised controlled trials. The clinical and methodological heterogeneity precluded a meta‐analysis. Six of these studies were performed in stroke patients. Some studies reported statistically significant benefits of active family involvement on readmission rates, hospital LOS, ADL, psychological distress for patients and family members, QoL and satisfaction of family caregivers. However, others did not observe differences in these outcomes. For complication rates, mortality and satisfaction of patients and HCPs, no studies demonstrated significant differences between groups. Conclusion Further research is needed to provide a conclusive answer as to whether active family caregiver involvement improves outcomes of adult hospitalised patients. Implications for Patient Care Despite the inconclusive findings of this review, advocating for active involvement of family caregivers in adult in‐hospital care fits the perspective of patient‐ and family‐centred care. Impact As the care of hospitalised adults is shifting to a more family‐centric approach, investigating the effects of an active role of family caregivers in adult in‐hospital care is necessary. However, the small number of studies available and heterogeneity between studies included in this review hamper firm conclusions. Further evaluations through well‐designed studies are required.