Virtual Care Solutions for Caregivers of Children with Chronic Illness
In a recent scoping review led by Dr Nicole Pope, ‘Mapping the Gaps: A Scoping Review of Virtual Care Solutions for Caregivers of Children with Chronic Illness’, virtual care solutions ranging from self-guided apps to specialised care are examined. The review aimed to identify ways to provide accessible, equitable and family-centred solutions to directly support the psychological, physical and practical needs of caregivers and to enhance the entire caregiving ecosystem, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for both children and families.
The review, co-designed with caregivers partners, aimed to map virtual care solutions using an Evidence and Gap Map (EGM). The review found that most studies focused on caregivers of children with cancer, neurological disorders, and complex chronic conditions. Most caregiver support interventions provided low level support, such as self-guided apps and websites, and predominantly focused on psychological strategies targeting parenting. Gaps in care options highlighted insufficient attention to higher level needs, including caregivers’ own mental health, physical health, family counselling, and practical support (such as respite care).
Tools like the interactive and live EGM developed by Nicole and her team can help visualise knowledge as well as provide insights for patients, families, health professionals and policymakers. This facilitates more informed decision-making and helps identify areas that lack evidence. The review prioritises holistic, scalable virtual care solutions targeting caregivers’ mental, physical, and practical needs. However, solutions can only be effective and relevant with interdisciplinary collaboration between caregivers, clinicians and researchers in designing and evaluating these solutions. Equity must be explicitly embedded in their design and implementation.