Face and content validity of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT), and feasibility of the CSNAT intervention, for carers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Assessing the suitability of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT-Paediatric) for use with parents of children with a life-limiting condition: A qualitative secondary analysis

BACKGROUND

The demands of caring for a child with a life-limiting condition can have a profound impact on parents' health and wellbeing. Currently, there is no standard procedure for identifying and addressing the support needs of these parents.

AIM

To assess the suitability of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT (Paediatric)) for use with parents of children with a life-limiting condition.

DESIGN

Secondary qualitative content analysis of two qualitative datasets exploring the health, wellbeing and experiences of support of mothers and fathers of children with a life-limiting condition.

SETTING

A total of 30 mothers and 12 fathers were recruited via four UK children's hospices and social media.

RESULTS

Parental experiences of support mapped onto the existing domains of the CSNAT (Paediatric). One aspect of their experience, surrounding their child's educational needs, went beyond the existing domains of the CSNAT. An adapted version of the tool CSNAT (Paediatric) should include this domain.

CONCLUSION

The CSNAT (Paediatric) is a relevant tool for the assessment of parental support needs. Further research should assess the acceptability and feasibility of implementation of the broader intervention: CSNAT-I (Paediatric).

A person-centred intervention remotely targeting family caregivers' support needs in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-a feasibility study

PURPOSE

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an intensive curative treatment that increases family caregivers' burden. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of remotely assessing and addressing family caregivers' support needs in terms of demand and acceptability using the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention (CSNAT-I) in the HSCT context.

METHODS

CSNAT-I consists of an evidence-based tool and a five-stage person-centred process. The intervention was performed remotely by two designated nurses from two HSCT centres, one before HSCT and the second 6 weeks after (November 2020 to March 2021). To capture the experiences of using CSNAT-I, interviews were conducted with family caregivers and reflections were gathered from the designated nurses.

RESULTS

Of 34 eligible family caregivers, 27 participated, 70% were partners and the rest children, siblings or other relatives. The main support needs were knowing what to expect in the future and dealing with your feelings and worries. The most frequent support actions according to CSNAT-I were psychological support and medical information. Four categories summarised family caregivers and designated nurses' experiences: CSNAT-I was relevant and became an eye opener; nurses' experiences were important for enabling trustful CSNAT-I conversations; CSNAT-I provided family caregivers with support and a sense of security; and CSNAT-I gave family caregivers insight and enabled change.

CONCLUSION

Both family caregivers and designated nurses experienced that using CSNAT-I in an HSCT context was feasible and had the potential to provide valuable support for most of the participating family caregivers.