Group programmes to improve the skills, confidence and wellbeing of caregivers of children with neurodisability: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Background

Parents and caregivers of children with neurodisability, long-term health conditions that have a neurological cause resulting in functional impairments, require appropriate family-centred care to ensure the best outcomes for the child and the family. A key component of this care is working in partnership with parents, empowering them with skills and confidence, and providing specific and up-to-date information, to enable them to navigate care for their child. Caregiver skills training programmes have been well-researched in the fields of autism and intellectual disability, but children with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy are often underrepresented despite their high global prevalence.

Aim

This review aims to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of caregiver group programmes that aim to improve the skills, confidence and wellbeing of parents/caregivers of children with neurodisability, specifically those with motor disorders.

Methods

Five electronic databases (CINAHL, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO and ERIC) will be searched to identify interventional studies (randomised controlled trials and observational studies) that evaluated caregiver group programmes which aimed to improve skills, confidence and wellbeing. Studies will be screened by title and abstracts against the eligibility criteria before full-text screening. Data will be extracted using a standardised template with data items including study characteristics, participant details, intervention components and mechanisms, and outcome descriptions and results. Quality and risk of bias will be assessed using tools appropriate to each study type. Data on effect sizes will be pooled if consistency allows, using a random-effects method. If heterogeneity is too high, results will be summarised and presented descriptively.