RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Family carer needs in advanced disease: systematic review of reviews JF BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care JO BMJ Support Palliat Care FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP 132 OP 141 DO 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003299 VO 12 IS 2 A1 Marco, David John-Tom A1 Thomas, Kristina A1 Ivynian, Serra A1 Wilding, Helen A1 Parker, Deborah A1 Tieman, Jennifer A1 Hudson, Peter YR 2022 UL http://spcare.bmj.com/content/12/2/132.abstract AB Background Family carers are vital in the management and delivery of home-based palliative care. Decision-makers need to know what the most commonly expressed unmet needs of family carers are to target available support services.Aim To identify the most commonly expressed needs of family carers of people with an advanced disease, assess the quality of current evidence, and set an agenda for future research and clinical practice.Design A systematic review of reviews, prospectively registered on PROSPERO. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for systematic reviews and research syntheses.Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Informit and Cochrane Library were searched for reviews about the needs of carers looking after patients with advanced disease from 2010 to 2020.Results Findings from 21 reviews identified emotional support, disease-specific knowledge, carer role responsibilities, self-care and general practical support as the most commonly expressed needs expressed by family carers. Additionally, access to professional services, formal education opportunities and communication with health professionals were identified as caregivers’ preferred ways of having these needs met. Extraction of carer-specific needs was challenging at times as results were often combined with patient results in reviews.Conclusion Practical difficulties exist in effectively resourcing services to meet the needs of family carers. Information regarding the most commonly expressed needs shared by caregivers and their preferred delivery source can provide an opportunity to focus available support services to achieve the highest possible impact for carers of patients with advanced disease.PROSPERO registration number CRD42018088678.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.