Optimising care transitions from hospital to home for carers of people with palliative care needs

Marston, Celia Kate

Optimising care transitions from hospital to home for carers of people with palliative care needs

Marston, Celia Kate

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2025

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Marston, Celia Kate
dc.date.accessioned	2026-05-11T01:50:02Z
dc.date.available	2026-05-11T01:50:02Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194927
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Transitions from hospital to home are often distressing for people with palliative care needs and their carers, who frequently experience unmet needs and limited support. Although the optimal way to support carers at discharge remains unclear, the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool–Intervention (CSNAT-I) may be suitable for hospital settings. This research aimed to identify the core elements of a carer-focused intervention to strengthen hospital-to-home transitions. The thesis comprised a systematic review, a mixed-methods study evaluating implementation of the CSNAT-I and a Phase II feasibility study (CARENET). The review showed that carers of people with advanced cancer are routinely overlooked in transition interventions, highlighting the need to examine the CSNAT-I in practice. Across studies, clinicians and carers accepted the CSNAT-I and valued its structured approach to identifying and following up carer needs. However, operationalising a carer-focused intervention within acute care proved challenging; clinicians adapted components for contextual fit, and the CARENET protocol did not accommodate the diversity of carers’ support needs or personalised discharge processes. To ensure equitable support at discharge, intervention models must be flexible and informed by diverse carer perspectives. Co-design research involving multiple carer groups is needed before further intervention testing and implementation.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/194927/3/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2025 Celia K. Marston
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Optimising care transitions from hospital to home for carers of people with palliative care needs	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Transitions from hospital to home are often distressing for people with palliative care needs and their carers, who frequently experience unmet needs and limited support. Although the optimal way to support carers at discharge remains unclear, the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool–Intervention (CSNAT-I) may be suitable for hospital settings. This research aimed to identify the core elements of a carer-focused intervention to strengthen hospital-to-home transitions. The thesis comprised a systematic review, a mixed-methods study evaluating implementation of the CSNAT-I and a Phase II feasibility study (CARENET). The review showed that carers of people with advanced cancer are routinely overlooked in transition interventions, highlighting the need to examine the CSNAT-I in practice. Across studies, clinicians and carers accepted the CSNAT-I and valued its structured approach to identifying and following up carer needs. However, operationalising a carer-focused intervention within acute care proved challenging; clinicians adapted components for contextual fit, and the CARENET protocol did not accommodate the diversity of carers’ support needs or personalised discharge processes. To ensure equitable support at discharge, intervention models must be flexible and informed by diverse carer perspectives. Co-design research involving multiple carer groups is needed before further intervention testing and implementation.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/194927