Person-centred support for family caregivers and patients

This research programme studies a person-centred intervention in health care — the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention (CSNAT-I) and Support Needs Approach for Patients (SNAP) — which can be used to address the support needs of family caregivers and patients when caring for someone with a life-threatening illness.

When working with the intervention, a reversed approach is applied compared to what is perhaps most common in healthcare practice, where professionals draw on their expert knowledge to provide care, advice and support. Using the CSNAT-I, professionals are encouraged to step back from their expert role and instead entrust shared responsibility to family caregivers and patients. In doing so, they are given the opportunity to reflect on their own situation, their own resources, the resources available within their personal network, and what support is accessible to them. The intervention comprises two parts: an assessment tool and a five-step person-centred process.

Experiences of patients, family caregivers and healthcare staff

The research programme consists of several projects examining the experiences of patients, family caregivers and healthcare staff, as well as the effects and clinical implications of the intervention. The programme further encompasses methodological development, evaluation of intervention processes, and collaboration with stakeholders.

The research programme is conducted in national and international collaboration, with participating researchers from Karolinska Institute, Linnaeus University, Sophiahemmet University, Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, as well as the University of Manchester, the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia.

National Interest Group

A national interest group for the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention (CSNAT-I/SNAP) holds regular meetings twice per semester via a digital meeting platform, providing a forum for shared discussion and knowledge exchange regarding the intervention. You are welcome to join the interest group by contacting the research programme's designated contact persons by email.