• R Harding, E Epiphaniou, D Hamilton, S Bridger, V Robinson, R George, T Beynon, and I J Higginson.
• Department of Palliative Care Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London, London, UK.
• Support Care Cancer. 2012 Sep 1;20(9):1975-82.

PurposeTailored and specific interventions for informal caregivers in palliative care are rare. We aimed to generate evidence to inform a subsequent appropriate intervention based on caregivers' experiences.MethodSingle, semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with 20 informal cancer caregivers of home cancer palliative care.ResultsCarers reported the need to be prepared for their caring role, to be visible to professionals, to receive clear and specific information about the patient's condition, and to be emotionally supported. They described challenges as uncertainty, distress at witnessing disease progression and the daily struggle with financial issues, personal time, own health and sleep problems.ConclusionsConsidering the time pressures and restricted caregiver time, the intervention should be brief and should aim to enhance their visibility as service recipients, patient-specific information giving, preparation for their role, and emotional support.

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