Informal Caregiving and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Scoping Review

Christina J. Pickering; Maya Dancey; Karen Paik; Tracey O'Sullivan

doi:10.1007/s13753-021-00328-8

Volume 12 Issue 2

Dec. 2021

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Christina J. Pickering, Maya Dancey, Karen Paik, Tracey O'Sullivan. Informal Caregiving and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Scoping Review[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(2): 169-187. doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00328-8

Citation:

Christina J. Pickering, Maya Dancey, Karen Paik, Tracey O'Sullivan. Informal Caregiving and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Scoping Review[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(2): 169-187. doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00328-8

Citation:

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Informal Caregiving and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Scoping Review

doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00328-8

1 Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada;
2 EnRiCH Research Lab, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada;
3 Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, Canada

Funds:

We would like to thank the following librarians at the University of Ottawa for their guidance throughout the project: Mish Boutet, Lindsey Sikora, Sarah Visintini, and Marie-Cécile Domecq. Thank you for your unending patience and library sciences wisdom. Thank you to Lyric Oblin-Moses for your help refining the search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria by screening 5% of the articles pulled from the initial Medline search. This research was partially funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation through the Early Researcher Award, awarded to Dr. Tracey O’Sullivan.

Available Online: 2021-12-25

Abstract

Abstract

Informal caregivers are a population currently in the shadows of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and yet essential to the provision of healthcare services. This scoping review explored the literature to understand issues related to informal caregiving and promising practices to support resilience for disasters. Following guidelines for scoping review as outlined by Tricco et al. (2016), relevant publications were identified from five major databases— Medline, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Relevant studies referenced informal caregiving and disasters for a variety of population groups including children, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and older adults. Studies were excluded if they discussed formal caregiving services (for example, nursing), lacked relevance to disasters, or had insufficient discussion of informal caregiving. Overall, 21 articles met the inclusion criteria and were fully analyzed. Five themes were identified: (1) the need for education and training in DRR; (2) stressors around medication and supply issues; (3) factors affecting the decision-making process in a disaster; (4) barriers leading to disaster-related problems; and (5) factors promoting resilience. Recommended areas of strategic action and knowledge gaps are discussed. Many informal caregivers do not feel adequately prepared for disasters. Given the important role of informal caregivers in healthcare provision, preparedness strategies are essential to support community resilience for those requiring personal care support. By understanding and mobilizing assets to support the resilience of informal caregivers, we also support the resilience of the greater healthcare system and the community, in disaster contexts.
- Caregiving,
- Disaster resilience,
- Disaster risk reduction,
- Healthcare,
- Informal caregiving

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References(49)

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