Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to identify the supportive care needs of, and associated assessment tools for, family caregivers of Indigenous people with cancer.
Methods: We searched Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid Medline, Embase, and Google databases, for published journal articles and gray literature. Separate searches were carried out for needs and tools.
Results: Eleven articles were included in the review of supportive care needs. Evidence suggests that while caregivers of Indigenous people with cancer report some similar needs to carers of non-Indigenous patients, there are additional and specific needs requiring consideration. Needs identified included practical, cultural, communication, mental and emotional, health system, physical health, financial, familial, educational, and spiritual needs. Practical, cultural, communication, and mental/emotional were the most prevalent. No articles were found that fit the search criteria for tools to assess the supportive care needs of family caregivers of Indigenous peoples with cancer.
Conclusion: Family caregivers of Indigenous people with cancer experience different supportive care needs than cancer caregivers from the general population. Despite these differing needs and a higher burden of cancer among Indigenous peoples globally, no assessment tools have been created that identify the needs of this group, highlighting a gap in the literature and potentially in cancer care.