Caregiver presence in a home-based cardiac rehabilitation programme improves the health-related quality of life of patients with heart failure.

Rehabilitation EnAblement in CHronic Heart Failure (REACH-HF) is a home-based cardiac rehabilitation intervention designed for patients with heart failure and their caregivers. We present a pooled analysis of patients >18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of HF recruited to two REACH-HF randomized controlled trials. Where identified by patients and consented to participate, caregivers were randomly assigned with patients to receive the REACH-HF intervention plus usual care or usual care alone.

Involving caregivers in self-management interventions for patients with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To quantify the impact of involving caregivers in self-management interventions on health-related quality of life of patients with heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Design: Systematic review, meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Searched: Medline Ebsco, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, The British Library and ProQuest.

'Who Cares?' The experiences of caregivers of adults living with heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery disease: a mixed methods systematic review.

Objective: To assess the experiences of unpaid caregivers providing care to people with heart failure (HF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or coronary artery disease (CAD). Mixed methods systematic review including qualitative and quantitative studies. Databases searched: Medline Ebsco, PsycInfo, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Embase, Web of Science, Ethos: The British Library and ProQuest.