Key result
Informal caregiver support in HF improves adherence and reduces hospitalisations, but increases caregiver burden.
Why the study?
Effective HF management depends on consistent self-care increasingly performed with the support of informal caregivers, motivating a synthesis of current evidence on caregivers contribution to HF management, its determinants, outcomes, and nursing implications.
Does informal caregiver contribution and supportive dyadic interventions improve self-care, hospitalisations, and quality of life in adult patients with chronic heart failure and their caregivers?
Does informal caregiver contribution and supportive dyadic interventions improve self-care, hospitalisations, and quality of life in adult patients with chronic heart failure and their caregivers?
Informal caregivers play a central role in improving heart failure self-care, reducing hospitalisations, and enhancing quality of life, warranting their systematic assessment and integration into clinical nursing care.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support caregiver assessment in HF care; leaves open RCTs of dyadic interventions to reduce burden.
Background. Heart failure (HF) is a chronic syndrome affecting more than 64 million people worldwide. Effective HF management depends on consistent self-care, which is increasingly performed with the support of informal caregivers. Objectives. To review current evidence on caregivers’ contribution (CC) to HF management, including its theoretical foundations, determinants, impact on patient and caregiver outcomes, and implications for clinical nursing practice. Material and methods. A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between January 2014 and October 2025 was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. Search terms combined «heart failure», «caregiver», «caregiver contribution», «self-care», and «caregiver burden». Original studies, systematic reviews, theoretical articles, and current European Society of Cardiology guidelines were included. Results. Caregivers contribute to two complementary processes: self-care maintenance and self-care management. Higher CC is associated with better patient self-care, fewer hospitalisations, and improved quality of life. Caregiver confidence is the strongest determinant of CC. Caregiving is, however, frequently linked to elevated burden, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and reduced quality of life. Multicomponent interventions, including psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and dyadic approaches, can improve outcomes for both members of the dyad. Conclusions. Caregivers are an indispensable extension of the formal HF care team. Nurses should systematically assess caregivers’ skills, confidence, and burden, and integrate them as partners in care planning.
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Vellone et al. (2025) conducted a review in Chronic heart failure. Informal caregiver contribution to heart failure self-care was evaluated on Patient self-care, hospitalisations, quality of life, and caregiver burden. Higher informal caregiver contribution to heart failure self-care improves patient adherence, reduces hospitalisations, and enhances quality of life, though it can increase caregiver burden.
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