Users' Experiences With Home Mechanical Ventilation: A Rewiev of Qualitative Studies

Results: The review showed high confidence in 4 findings: an increase in quality of life, feeling forced to accept home mechanical ventilation, collaboration between home-care assistants and users of home mechanical ventilation is challenging, and information about the technology from a user's perspective. The review showed moderate confidence in 2 findings: living at home is pivotal for a normalized everyday life, and home mechanical ventilation causes a life with continued worries and uncertainty.

METHODS: By following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines, 9 databases were systematically searched. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria after title and/or abstract screening and full-text assessment. These were appraised by using the Relevance, Appropriateness, Transparency, Soundness checklist. Thematic analysis guided data extraction and identification of the findings. The Confidence in the Evidence for Reviews of Qualitative Research tool was applied to assess the confidence of the findings.