Developing a person-centred approach to carer assessment and support

TLDR

Community nurses provide palliative care and support for patients and carers at home, and the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) offers an evidence‑based, person‑centred approach to assess and support carers in home care. The study outlines the development of the CSNAT tool. Using the CSNAT as a person‑centred approach benefits both carers and practitioners. The authors describe five stages of the CSNAT approach to guide practitioners in implementing the tool.

Abstract

Community nurses play an important role in providing palliative care and support for patients and carers at home. The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) provides practitioners with an evidence-based comprehensive tool to use with carers in palliative home care. As a practice tool, the CSNAT uses a person-centred approach—that is, the process of carer assessment and support is facilitated by practitioners but is carerled. In this paper, the CSNAT research team provides an overview of the development of the tool and the benefits for both carers and practitioners arising from using the CSNAT as a person-centred approach in practice. The authors outline the five stages of the CSNAT approach to assist practitioners wishing to implement the CSNAT in practice.