Caregiving experience of family caregivers for people with colorectal cancer: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Objective: This review aims to synthesize the most robust evidence regarding family caregivers’ experiences of caring for people with colorectal cancer (CRC). Introduction: Caring for people with CRC places a significant burden on caregivers that can affect their physical and psychological well-being. Understanding the unique experiences of family caregivers is essential for developing effective support systems that enhance their well-being. Inclusion criteria: This review will consider studies exploring the experiences of family caregivers caring for people with primary CRC. The studies will focus on qualitative data, including designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, qualitative descriptive studies, action research, feminist research, mixed methods studies, and program evaluations with embedded qualitative data. Methods: The review will follow the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. The search strategy will aim to locate published and unpublished studies, with no date or language restrictions. PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases will be searched. The search for gray literature will include Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Two reviewers will independently select the studies, extract data, and critically appraise the methodological quality of the studies using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research. The findings will be pooled using the meta-aggregation approach or presented in narrative format. The final synthesized findings will be graded for certainty according to the ConQual approach. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024517472 Review registration: PROSPERO CRD 42024517472