Motivations and willingness to provide care from a geographical distance, and the impact of distance care on caregivers’ mental and physical health: a mixed-method systematic review protocol

Introduction Distance caregivers (DCGs) are a growing
population with substantial contribution to informal care.
While a reasonable amount is known on the determinants
of motives and willingness to provide local informal care,
and the local caregiver outcomes, reports for the distance
caregiving population are lacking. An evidence synthesis
of what motivates and makes DCGs willing to care from a
distance and the impact of that care on their mental and
physical health would highlight any gaps or consensus in
knowledge. This would guide the research needed towards
the development of tailored interventions, in order to
support DCGs and promote the sustainability of distance
care.
Methods and analysis This protocol adheres to Preferred
Items for Reporting of Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses Protocols guidelines and the Joanna Briggs
Institute (JBI) Methodology for mixed-method reviews.
A comprehensive search strategy will be conducted in
four electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed
and PsycINFO). Grey literature will also be assessed to
minimise publication bias. Two independent reviewers will
assess each study for inclusion and any discrepancies
will be resolved with the consultation of a third reviewer.
Eligible studies for inclusion will be English language
studies exploring the motives and willingness to care
for a care recipient with a chronic disease, disability or
frailty from a geographical distance; or studies focusing
on the mental and physical health outcomes of DCGs.
Qualitative and quantitative data will be integrated in a
single qualitative synthesis following the JBI convergent
integrated approach. Study quality will be assessed using
the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018.
Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not
required for this study as no primary data will be collected.
Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed
publication and presentations at academic conferences
and lay summaries for various stakeholders.
PROSPERO registration number CRD42020156350.