title: Measuring the impact of informal elderly caregiving: a systematic review of tools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To classify and identify the main characteristics of the tools used in practice to assess the impact of elderly caregiving on the informal carers' life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of literature was performed searching in Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, IBECS, LILACS, SiiS, SSCI and Cochrane Library from 2009 to 2013 in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, and in reference lists of included papers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The review included 79 studies, among them several in languages other than English. Their inclusion increased the variety of identified tools to measure this impact (n = 93) and allowed a wider analysis of their geographical use. While confirming their overlapping nature, instruments were classified according to the degree of integration of dimensions they evaluated and their specificity to the caregiving process: caregiver burden (n = 20), quality of life and well-being (n = 11), management and coping (n = 21), emotional and mental health (n = 29), psychosocial impact (n = 10), physical health and healthy habits (n = 2), and other measures. A high use in practice of tools not validated yet and not caregiver-specific was identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The great variety and characteristics of instruments identified in this review confirm the complexity and multidimensionality of the effects of elderly caregiving on the informal carer's life and explain the difficulties to assess these effects in practice. According to the classification provided, caregiver burden and emotional and mental health are the most evaluated dimensions. However, further work is required to develop integrated and caregiving focused procedures that can appraise this complexity across different countries and cultures.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria-OSIs Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain.|Programa de Doctorado en Salud Pública, Universidad del País Vasco, Leioa, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mosquera
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria-OSIs Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas-REDISSEC, San Sebastián, Spain.|Centro de Investigación en Cronicidad, KRONIKGUNE, Bilbao, Spain.|Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biodonostia, San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Itziar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vergara
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Cronicidad, KRONIKGUNE, Bilbao, Spain.|Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biodonostia, San Sebastián, Spain.|Departamento de Salud, Delegación Territorial de Gipuzkoa, Gobierno Vasco, San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Larrañaga
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria-OSIs Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain. monica.machonsobrado@osakidetza.eus.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas-REDISSEC, San Sebastián, Spain. monica.machonsobrado@osakidetza.eus.|Centro de Investigación en Cronicidad, KRONIKGUNE, Bilbao, Spain. monica.machonsobrado@osakidetza.eus.|Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biodonostia, San Sebastián, Spain. monica.machonsobrado@osakidetza.eus.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Machón
authors.affiliation: Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, Spain.|Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Río
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria-OSIs Gipuzkoa, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain.|Centro de Investigación en Cronicidad, KRONIKGUNE, Bilbao, Spain.|Centro de salud de Alza , OSI Donostialdea, Osakidetza, San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calderón
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Caregivers; Elderly; Health; Quality of Life; Tool