Main characteristics of the included studies
| Characteristics | Variables | Number of studies | Study references |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary place of care | Home | 10 | 22 25 27 29 31–33 35 37 38 |
| Range (including home, hospital or hospice) or not explicitly stated | 7 | 21 24 26 28 30 35 36 | |
| Community hospital | 1 | 23 | |
| Bereaved or current family caregivers | Bereaved | 10 | 22 23 25–31 37 |
| Current | 4 | 21 33 35 38 | |
| Both bereaved and current | 4 | 24 32 34 36 | |
| Diseases of the relatives of the participating family caregivers | Advanced cancer | 11 | 21 25–28 30 31 35–38 |
| Motor-neurone disease | 2 | 24 32 | |
| Range of diseases within study | 2 | 23 34 | |
| Diseases not reported by study | 3 | 22 29 33 | |
| Country of origin | Canada | 5 | 25 33–35 37 |
| Australia | 3 | 21 24 28 | |
| UK | 3 | 23 32 36 | |
| Sweden | 3 | 27 29 38 | |
| China (Hong Kong) | 1 | 30 | |
| Denmark | 1 | 31 | |
| Singapore | 1 | 26 | |
| USA | 1 | 22 | |
| Data collection method | Interviews | 13 | 22 23 25 27 28 30 32–38 |
| Focus groups and interviews used in combination | 3 | 21 26 31 | |
| Focus groups | 1 | 24 | |
| Free-text questionnaire | 1 | 29 | |
| Data analysis method | Qualitative analysis | 4 | 21 23 29 31 |
| Thematic analysis | 3 | 24 26 32 | |
| Interpretive, descriptive analysis | 3 | 25 35 37 | |
| Constant comparative analysis | 3 | 30 34 38 | |
| Hermeneutic approach | 2 | 27 33 | |
| Grounded theory | 1 | 36 | |
| Phenomenological approach | 1 | 28 | |
| Combination of ethnography and grounded theory | 1 | 22 |