Table 2

Characteristics of the included studies

	Methodology				Participants			Service characteristics
Study reference	Aim	Data collection	Sampling	Analysis	Number and type	Clinical characteristics	Sociodemographics	24/7	Specialist level	Hands-on
1. Brannstrom 2007(a), 2006 Sweden	Explore meanings of living with severe chronic heart failure (CHF)	Face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions	Convenience	Phenomeno-logical-hermeneutic	4 patients and 3 current caregivers	Severe CHF (NYHA III/IV). Experience with team: 3 months–2 years	Patients: 72–81 years old, 3 men, 2 living with wife, 2 alone Carers: 50–75 years old	Yes, home visit	Unknown	Yes
2.Brannstrom 2007 (b) Sweden	Illuminate meanings of being cared for a palliative advanced home care team	26 interviews with open-ended questions, 3–5 months intervals, over 4.5 years	Convenience	Phenomenological- hermeneutic	1 patient and his caregiver	Severe CHF (NYHA IV). Home palliative care for 2 years	Patient and wife about 70 years old, with children and grandchildren	Yes, home visit	Unknown	Yes
3. Ewing 2013 UK	Explore perspectives of carers on support needed during the last months	9 focus groups with 1.5–2 hours duration, 22 individual telephone interviews	Convenience	Thematic analysis	75 bereaved caregivers (6–9 months)	70 patients with cancer, other: MND, Parkinson, COPD	Carers: 35–82 years old, 45 women, 59 spouses, 13 sons PoD: 51 home, 17 hospice	Yes	Unknown	Yes
4. Exley 2005 UK	Explore views and experiences of a Hospice at Home service.	Semistructured interviews	Convenience	Framework approach	12 bereaved carers (3–6 months)	All cancer	Carers: 3 husbands, 6 wives, 2 daughters, 1 daughter-in-law. PoD: all home	No	Unknown	Yes, advanced support
5.Goldschmid 2006 Denmark	Investigate expectations and evaluations of a palliative home-care team	Semistructured interviews, patients and their caregivers, 2–4 weeks after referral	Convenience	Template analysis	6 patients and 5 current caregivers	All cancer, diagnosed for 1–79 months, PoD: 5 home, 1 hospital	Patients: 55–88 years old 4 men, 5 women, 3 lived alone Carers: 3 wives, 1 husband, 2 daughters; all >30 years old	Yes	Specialist	Yes by District Nurse
6. Harding 2001 UK	Explore development of appropriate and acceptable services for caregivers	Face-to-face semistructured interviews, using a topic guide	Purposive	Grounded theory	14 current caregivers, 4 bereaved caregivers	16 patients with cancer, 2 with non-malignant diseases	Carers: 23–72 years old, 12 women, 13 FT caregivers, 5 working, caring for 2 h–24 hours a day for 2–7 months	Yes	Unknown (team not described)	Yes
7. Harding 2012, Epiphaniou 2012, UK	Understand caregivers support needs to provide informal home palliative care	Face-to-face open-ended semistructured interviews, 30–90 min of duration	Purposive sampling	Thematic analysis	20 current caregivers	All patients with cancer diagnosis	Patients: 27–79 years old Carers: 25–79 years old, 11 women, 13 spouses, 10 retired, 4 FT workers, caring for 2–24 hours/day	Unknown	Specialist	Unknown visiting team
8. Holley 2009 USA	Understand definition of a successful home palliative care experience	Indepth face-to-face guided interviews for 25–60 min	Convenience	Thematic analysis	13 bereaved caregivers	Diagnosis: dementia, cancer, failure to thrive	All patients >65 years old All carers >18 years old	Yes	Intermediate	Yes
9. Holmberg 2006 Sweden	Describe and analyse communication between a dying son and his mother	Case study, analysis of a mothers' diary	No sampling	Content analysis	1 caregiver	Cancer	Patient: a man aged 36 years, married, 1 child; Caregiver: mother	Unknown	Unknown (team not described)	Yes, advanced support
10. Hudson 2004 Australia	Explore experiences of supporting a patient dying of cancer at home.	Face-to-face semistructured interviews, as part of an RCT intervention	Randomisation	Content and thematic analysis	Current caregivers	Advanced cancer (prognosis<12 months), independent	Carers: all living with patient, 2/3 women, 2/3 spouses, 42% retired	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
11. Hull 1989–1993 Ohio, USA	Understand family experiences caring for relative under hospice supported home care	Semistructured interviews and participant observation every 3–4 weeks (55 visits in 16 months)	Theoretical sampling	Content analysis	14 current caregivers of 10 different families	All patients with cancer. Total time enrolled in hospice 2.5–31 months (prior study 1–26 months)	Patients: 41–90 years old Family members: 26–78 years old, 5 spouses, 4 daughters, 4 sons, 1 niece	Yes, home visit	Unknown	Yes
12. Melin-Johansson 2008, Sweden	Elucidate meaning of quality-of-life as narrated by patients with cancer	Narrative interviews	Convenience sampling	Content analysis, hermeneutic	8 patients	All metastatic, mean survival time after interview 3 months	Patients: 35–83 years old, 6 men, 7 married, 2 lived with children, 1 single	No	Specialist	Yes, advanced support
13. Milberg 2012 Sweden	Explore patients and families’ experiences of palliative home care as a ‘secure base’	Guided interviews with open-ended questions (30–90 min)	Maximum variation sample	Deductive content analysis	12 patients 14 caregivers	Patients: 9 cancer Caregivers: 12 caring for cancer patient	Patients: 35–79 years old, 4 women, 10 married (2 living alone) Caregivers: 53–79 years old, 11 women, 13 spouses	Yes, home visit	Specialist	Yes
14. Milberg 2011, 2004, Sweden	Illuminate experience of powerlessness and helplessness in a palliative home care context	Cross-sectional posted survey with piloted open-ended questions	Conventional sample. (RR 72%)	Qualitative+quantitative content analysis	233 NoK, 99 current carers 134 bereaved	Patients: all cancer	Patients: 23–94 years old, 108 women NoK: 31–91 years old, 148 women 157 spouse, 51 child	Yes, home visit	Specialist	Yes
15 Milberg 2004, 2003 Sweden	Describe construct of meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability of carers	30 interviews (saturation) during hospital-based home palliative care	Maximum variation sampling	Hermeneutic meaning interpretation	19 current caregivers	All patients with cancer	Patients: 57–86 years old, 8 men Caregivers: 45–78 years old, 9 men, 7 employed, 15 spouses, 16 living with patient	Yes	Specialist	Yes
16. Milberg 2003 Sweden	Investigate NoK lasting impression of home palliative care.	Posted or personally delivered questionnaires.	Representative sampling (RR 86%)	Qualitative content analysis	217 bereaved caregivers (3–7 months after)	189 (87%) cared for patients with cancer	Carers: 121 women	Yes, home visit	Specialist	Yes, advanced support
17. Milberg 2007 Sweden	Develop theory about family members’ experience of home palliative care	Analytic expansion of studies 14, 15, 16 with statement analysis and theory synthesis			469 family members: 118 current, 351 bereaved	Patients: 441 with cancer	279 women	Yes	Specialist	Yes
18. Milberg 2000 Sweden	To investigate NoK satisfaction with service	Questionnaire with 3 open-ended questions	Convenience sample	Content analysis	72 bereaved NoK	All adults, all cancer	All adults	Yes, home visit	Specialist	Yes
19. Nasstrom 2013 Sweden	Examine chronic heart failure patients descriptions of participation in care	Face-to-face interviews	Quota sampling	Content analysis	19 patients	All patients with chronic heart failure NYHA III/IV (18/1)	Patients: 13 men, 63–90 years old, 11 living alone	Yes	Intermediate	Yes

CHF, chronic heart failure; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; MND, motoneuron disease; NoK, next-of-kin; PoD, place of death; RR, response rate.