L'expérience du « prendre soin » vécue par les aidants familiaux de survivants d'accident vasculaire cérébral à domicile : une métasynthèse

The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of qualitative studies published between 1987 and 2010 dealing with the caregiving experience among family caregivers with stroke survivors at home. Empirical articles in French and in English dealing with this subject and published between 1987 and 2010 were sought using the CINAHL and PubMed databases. The method used in this metasynthesis was developed by the authors applying the principle of content analysis for each article, categorization and grouping of themes and sub-themes. The caregiving experience was conceptualized in three dimensions: the negative side of the caregiving experience, the positive side of this experience and the development of “coping” strategies. Qualitative studies provide a better understanding of family caregivers' experiences. A few methodological and empirical observations are made, however, to improve the transferability of the results - the size of the sample and the separation of the family caregiver's experience from the stroke survivor's. The main recommendations from the studies are presented.