Family-centered care for cancer patients and their families in developing countries: an integrative review.

Authors

Habtamu Geremew, Israel Gabriel, Elisabeth Coyne

Published in

BMC health services research. Jul 06, 2026. Epub Jul 06, 2026.

Abstract

Cancer is a major and growing challenge in developing countries, where limited resources contribute to poor outcomes to patients and families. Family-centered care, which considers both cancer patients and their families as the central focus of care, has been shown to improve the health of cancer patients and their family caregivers. However, the existing evidence is primarily concentrated in high-income settings, and comprehensive data about family-centered cancer care in developing countries is lacking. Therefore, this review was conducted to synthesize the existing evidence on family-centered cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.
A comprehensive review was conducted using an integrative design. Relevant articles were searched in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Epistemonikos, the Cochrane Library, African Journals Online, and CINAHL. Data were extracted into a standardized data extraction form, and a narrative synthesis was employed to integrate and present the findings. Protocol registration number: CRD42025639842.
Out of 336 identified records, 18 articles involving 2,373 participants were included in this review. Despite its limited implementation in low- and middle-income countries, family-centered care was associated with improvements in quality of life, psychosocial health, emotional wellbeing, lifestyle, social interaction, and functional status, and with a reduction in symptom burden among cancer patients. It also enhances quality of life and mental wellbeing, while reducing the caregiving burden among family caregivers.
Findings of this review underscore the beneficial effects of family-centered care in enhancing health outcomes for cancer patients and their family caregivers. However, its application remains significantly low in developing countries. Moreover, there is also a lack of a uniform definition and implementation strategy for family-centered care approach. Therefore, future research should focus on developing context-specific and culturally appropriate family-centered care models that can be effectively integrated into existing healthcare systems in developing countries.
Not applicable.

PMID:
42410423
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Jul 2026.

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