title: Informal Caregivers of Palliative Oncohematologic Patients: The Invisible Guests: An Exhaustive Review of the Literature Available.
abstract: Informal caregivers are crucial members of the teams that care for palliative patients with cancer, including those with oncohematological malignancies. Publications concerning specific aspects of this latter group of carers are limited. This literature review indicates that palliative oncohematologic patients' caregivers do not differ from those of patients with solid tumors in ethical and related problems. However, there are specific problems for the former group with regard to negotiating the curative system, which are experienced as distressing, often without support from the health system and without offers of the possibility of being referred to palliative teams that they would have valued as very positive. Although this tendency seems to be changing, there is still considerable work to be done to improve the role of these carers.
authors.affiliation: U.G.C. Palliative Care, Hospital "Vázquez Díaz", Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: María Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Uceda-Torres
authors.affiliation: U.G.C. Hematology, Hospital "Juan Ramón Jiménez", Huelva, Spain jnicolasrr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Juan Nicolás
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Librarian, Andalusian e-Health Library, Hospital "Juan Ramón Jiménez", Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alvarado-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Ramos
authors.affiliation: Centre for Community Science, Population & Social Health Program, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGrath
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005195:Family Relations; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D062526:Patient Navigation; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: caregiver; carer; end-of-life care; ethics; hematologic malignancies; palliative care