Scoping Review of Research on the Preparedness of Family Caregivers for Patients with Chronic Diseases

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of studies on the level and influencing factors of preparedness among family caregivers of patients with chronic diseases, and to provide evidence for developing targeted interventions to improve the quality of family care. Methods: Guided by the scoping review methodological framework, a systematic search was conducted in 9 databases including CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2025. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and synthesized the findings. Results: A total of 17 articles (8 in Chinese, 9 in English) were included. The results showed that the overall preparedness level of family caregivers for chronic disease patients was moderate to low. The Caregiver Preparedness Scale was the most commonly used assessment tool. Influencing factors were categorized into three domains: caregiver-related factors (e.g., demographic characteristics, caregiving experience, knowledge level, psychological status), patient-related factors (e.g., disease severity, self-care ability), and social support and environmental factors (e.g., co-caregivers, social support, healthcare accessibility). Conclusion: Caregiver preparedness is a key variable affecting the quality and outcomes of care for chronic disease patients, and is influenced by multi-level factors. Future research should develop more disease-specific assessment tools, conduct longitudinal and interventional studies to build an evidence-based systematic support system, thereby effectively enhancing caregiver preparedness, alleviating burden, and improving patient prognosis.