Transitional care to caregivers of dependent older people: an integrative literature review

Objective: To identify the needs of caregivers of dependent older people related to self-care in the transition from hospital to home. Methods: Integrative literature review that followed a predefined protocol, carried out from March to May 2019 in the platforms EBSCO, B-On, Scopus, Web of Science, and Joanna Briggs Institute. Descriptors and eligibility criteria were defined for the bibliographic sample, which was ten articles. The search was limited to articles published between 2015 and 2019 to guarantee evidence topicality. Results: The needs of caregivers related to transitional care can be grouped into five categories: needs in the transition into the role of caregiver; needs related to self-care of caregivers themselves; health needs; economic needs; and social and collective needs. Final considerations: The work developed by nurses regarding transitional care of caregivers must have two focuses: managing care provided to dependent older people and managing the needs of caregivers and the care offered to them.