Family Caregiver Needs, Interventions, and Outcomes in Home-Based Cancer Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background Family caregivers play a pivotal role in supporting patients with advanced illness throughout palliative care. However, the burden of care often exceeds their capacity, highlighting the need for supportive interventions. Purpose This review aimed to (1) identify the needs of family caregivers in palliative care settings, (2) describe the types and characteristics of intervention models implemented to support caregivers, and (3) synthesize the reported benefits of these interventions. Methods A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guideline. Relevant articles were retrieved from EBSCO-host, PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus using keywords related to “family caregiver”, “palliative care”, “intervention”, and “support”. Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed studies reporting caregiver-focused interventions in palliative care. Data were charted and categorized into caregiver needs, intervention types, and benefit outcomes. Results A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Caregivers’ key needs centered on emotional support, knowledge to provide physical care, psychological resilience, and navigation of healthcare systems. Intervention models varied, including psychoeducational programs, mindfulness-based support, communication tools, and digitally delivered services. The benefits of these interventions clustered into four main areas: physical (eg, symptom management knowledge), psychosocial-spiritual (eg, anxiety reduction, emotional coping, existential well-being), quality of life (eg, empowerment, improved HRQoL), and feasibility (eg, acceptability, implementation barriers). While several interventions demonstrated significant positive effects, others yielded mixed or non-significant results depending on delivery method and context. Conclusion Family caregivers have multidimensional needs that can be addressed through tailored palliative care interventions. Future programs should prioritize flexible, context-adapted models to optimize impact and caregiver outcomes across domains.