Table 2 Characteristics of included studies

Burridge, Mitchell et al. (2011)

To explore the views of lay caregivers and health professionals about the way lay caregivers’ health concerns are raised by their GP?

Qualitative: Semi-structured interviews

Australia

Cancer Caregivers (n = 6) Health professionals (n = 19).

VI

Burridge, Mitchell et al.

(2017)

Explores carers and GPs’ views regarding the acceptability and usefulness of the NAT-C for helping carers to address their own health concerns.

Qualitative: Semi-structured interviews

Australia

Cancer caregivers (n = 11) and GPs n = 5).

VI

Carduff et al. (2014)

To identify barriers to and explore strategies for identifying carers in primary care. Particularly self-identifying as carer and identifying those caring in end of life.

Triangulated data: Lit review, workshop and focus groups

UK (Scotland)

Lit review (n = 50 papers), Researcher workshop (n = 70), Focus groups carers (n = 15), health professionals (n = 8)

VI

Carduff, Jarvis et al.

(2016)

To develop, pilot, and evaluate a new model of identifying, assessing, and supporting unpaid carers of people with palliative care needs.

Feasibility study, qualitative evaluation interviews

UK (Scotland)

Carers of terminally ill in 4 GP practices. (n = 81) received carer pack, (n = 25) returned CSNAT form, (n = 11) took part in follow-up interviews.

VI

Family caregiver alliance

(2012)

To provide practitioners with a wide range of measures from which they may generate assessment instruments appropriate and applicable to their practice setting, and beneficial for care planning.

Assessment measures resources inventory

USA

N/A

N/A

Fisher et al.

(2020)

To identify barriers and facilitators faced by HCPs in supporting FCGs, as well as knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by HCPs, to provide comprehensive services to FCGs.

Qualitative – symposium to gather perspectives of FCG’s, HCP’s and stakeholders

Canada

N = 40, FCGs n = 8 (Caregivers of seniors), frontline HCPs n = 6, managers n = 3, senior services organizers n = 3, non-government organizations leaders n = 6, academics n = 11 policy makers n = 3.

VI

Greenwood et al.

(2010)

Investigate GPs’ attitudes to carers, awareness and knowledge of issues facing carers and perceived barriers to supporting carers.

Post-training questionnaire survey of GPs

UK

Practice managers and receptionists) n = 33

VI

Greenwood et al. (2011)

Explores the support stroke carers would like from general practice and reactions to a community-based support and perceptions of a general practice team on carer supports.

Qualitative study – Semi-structured interviews

UK (England)

Stroke carers (n = 13) General practice staff (n = 10) GPs from varying sized practices. N = 78

VI

Greenwood et al. (2016)

Identify, appraise, and summarize all the published evidence on general practice-based interventions to support carers of people with stroke or dementia.

Systematic Review

UK (England)

4 included studies – all dementia carers

I

Jiwa et al.

(2010)

To develop an innovation to be tested in a formal clinical trial in Australian general practice (p.10). Pilot testing of NAT-C prior to RCT.

Complex intervention using actor patients

Australia

GPs (n = 6) Actor patients (n = 6), 34 recorded consultations.

VI

Jones et al.

(2012)

Inform the Department of Health about the impact and efficacy of the pilot workshop programme in increasing the participants’ knowledge and awareness about carers and how they might be assisted.

Questionnaire evaluation pre-workshop, post-workshop and 3 months post-workshop

UK

GPs (n = 95), clinical primary care workers (practice nurses, HCA’s), community matrons (n = 25), non-clinical primary care workers

VI

Kingston University (2010)

Evaluate six pilot workshops across England as part of the National Education Programme for

Supporting Carers in General Practice, organized by the Royal College of General Practitioners

and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

Evaluation of RCGP pilot training for GPs. Questionnaires: preworkshop, end of workshop and post three months

UK

Six pilot workshops, total participants n = 192, total participants working in primary care n = 153. Workshops delivered by 2 GPs and 1 former carer

VI

Katja Krug et al. (2018)

Increase the knowledge about challenges in general practice for patients, lay carers, and professionals in end-of-life (EoL) care.

Qualitative – focus groups

Germany

GPs (n = 12), medical assistants (N = 7) – with a special interest in palliative care.

VI

Mitchell et al.

(2010)

To assess the efficacy of the systematic utilization of a GP Toolkit in reducing caregivers’ reported number and level of unmet needs AND Evaluate the acceptability of the intervention for GPs and caregivers.

Study protocol for RCT

GPs and caregivers (approx. 400 caregivers and 330 GPs to complete the study)

N/A

Mitchell et al.

(2013)

To assess the hypothesis that the efficacy of a GP-based intervention incorporating a carer-reported needs checklist and a supporting GP Toolkit of resources, reduces the reported number and intensity of unmet carer needs, compared with usual care.

RCT - general practice

Australia

Carers of people with advanced cancer(N = 392)

II

National Health Service (NHS) England, patient experience team (2016)

Developing an integrated approach to the identification, assessment, and support of Carers and their families across health and social care.

A resource to help promote working together between Adult social care services, NHS commissioners and providers, and third-sector organizations

UK

N/A

N/A

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), (2020)

Guideline providing action-orientated recommendations for good practice, aimed at improving outcomes for adult carers.

Recommendations for health and social care practitioners in supporting Adult Carers.

UK

N/A

N/A

O’Connor C.

(2011)

Assess the role of Ireland’s general practitioners in caring for dementia carers.

Literature Review

Ireland

Dementia caregivers and general practitioners, general practice-based studies

N/A

Onwumere

(2016)

Article in British Journal of General Practice discussing how GPs are in a unique position to support individuals with psychosis and carers in general practice.

Editorial

UK

General practice audience

VII

Parmar et al.

(2020)

(1) To review stakeholder engagement process that led to the development of the competencies, (2) describe the process used to identify the competency domains, (3) report on the modified Delphi process used to validate the domain indicators, and (4) introduce the competency framework.

Multilevel interdisciplinary stakeholder co-design to develop a competency framework

Canada

Expert panel of Stakeholders (n = 50) included family caregivers, health care leaders, not-for-profit social care leaders, health professionals, front-line health care providers, policymakers and policy influencers, national and international researchers

VI

Peters et al.

(2019)

To explore the views of professional stakeholders on how health services, particularly primary care, can support carers and scope for strengthening such support in England.

Qualitative - semi-structured interviews

UK

Total n = 25, (GPs n = 4, Nurse n = 4, pharmacist n = 2, consultant n = 1, phlebotomist n = 1, policy n = 5, voluntary sector n = 8, local authority n = 1, private health sector n = 3, researcher n = 1.

VI

Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) (2013) – in partnership with Princes Royal Trust for carers.

Guide to help GPs understand who carers are, why they need help, how to involve them in patient care, and how to support them AND Educational tool

AND summary report.

Action guide for GPs and their teams

UK

N/A

N/A

Roen et al.

(2019)

To explore and describe health care professionals’ (HCPs) carer support within cancer palliative care within Orkdal district.

Qualitative - focus groups

Norway

HCPs n = 21

VI

Riffin et al.

(2020)

To identify current approaches to identifying carer needs and risks in primary care, To understand the benefits and barriers to implementing a standardized caregiver assessment in primary care, to derive recommendations for integrating assessment tools into primary care.

Qualitative - semi-structured interviews

USA

Primary care clinicians, staff and administrators (n = 30), Patient and family caregivers (n = 40)

VI

Robinson et al. (2010)

Addresses long-term care at home for people with dementia with a focus on psychosocial interventions, provision of information, caregiver support, behavioral and psychological symptom management and case management.

A narrative review

UK

N/A

N/A

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)(2019)

To support clinicians in supporting families and caregivers of older persons.

Part B of aged care clinical guide. – families and carers

Australia

N/A

N/A

RCGP Scotland

(n.d.)

To support GPs in the identification, support, and signposting of carers and young carers.

GP Resource/Information leaflet

Scotland

N/A

N/A

Smith et al. (2018)

To develop and evaluate a series of workshops intended to increase confidence as it relates to communication between caregivers, care recipients and health care professionals and thereby decrease caregiver burden.

Feasibility study

USA

Caregivers (N = 16)

VI

Sunne et al.

(2017)

To provide a concise review of how to care for the caregivers.

Review paper

USA

N/A

N/A

Swartz & Collins

(2011, & 2019)

Summarizing caregiver care by primary care physicians and offer direction for future research – handout for carers is included.

American Family Physician article – Caregiver Care

USA

N/A

N/A

Vidotto G

(2010)

To examine the properties of the Family Strain Questionnaire in the context of the Rasch model for scale construction to pave the way to develop a shortened refined version that practitioners can use routinely to screen for caregiver stress.

Development of a short form of the family strain questionnaire (FSQ). (semi-structured interview

Italy

Caregivers (n = 811) completed original FSQ, caregivers (n = 40) participated in reanalyzing the revised shorter version

VI

Doctors of BC (British Columbia, Canada)

Tool kit for doctors - how to organize your practice to support family caregivers.

Supplementary resource part of Doctors of BC policy paper “Circle of Care: Supporting Family Caregivers in BC”

Canada

N/A

N/A

Carers Trust Wales

(2019)

Designed to be used by Regional Partnership Boards, Local authorities, Local Health Boards and third sector organizations in Wales to support the identification and commissioning of good services for un-paid carers.

Good practice approaches to supporting carers in wales

UK - Wales

N/A

N/A

NHS

(2019)

Quality markers for supporting carers in general practice.

Quality markers

UK

N/A

N/A

Northern Sydney Local Health District (Australia)

To provide information to GP’s on the caring experience, what it means to be a carer, the impact of caring for another person, as well as how a GP can support those important partnerships in caring.

A guide for GPs and primary care teams

Australia

N/A

N/A