Interventions for family support in cardiometabolic disease: An integrative review

AIM: To evaluate how family support affects cardiometabolic outcomes. DESIGN: Integrative literature review. SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and Scopus were searched for peer‐reviewed primary research published between 2016 and 2021. METHODS: Independent screening of 1661 citations resulted in 17 international publications involving 16 experimental studies selected. Data were analysed using a constant comparison method. RESULTS: While the interventions varied regarding target, duration, setting and the profession of the interventionists, all studies demonstrated some level of the effectiveness for family involvement and support in the management of cardiometabolic diseases. The studies found improvement in health behaviours and clinical/psychosocial outcomes for the patients and the family members. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings from this review, we recommend utilizing the following for future family interventions in the management of diabetes and/or hypertension: (1) broader definitions of family and structures; (2) a community participatory/action‐research method with embedded healthcare workers; (3) an interdisciplinary approach with attention to goal‐setting; (4) multimodal interventions including technology; (5) culturally tailoring interventions for relevance as needed; and (6) clear direction regarding support role and tools.