Publications by authors named "U Kreicbergs"

Objectives: In home-based care for severely ill patients, family caregivers' contributions are crucial. This study aimed to explore how a web-based psychoeducational intervention influences family caregivers' experiences in addressing challenges while caring for a patient with life-threatening illnesses during specialized home care.

Methods: This qualitative study undertook semi-structured interviews with family caregivers of patients with life-threatening illness receiving specialized home care.

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Background: Web-based interventions targeted at family caregivers has become a quickly expanding research field, none the least since a growing number of patients with incurable illness are being cared for at home. Spouses, who are also family caregivers, constitute an especially vulnerable group in need of support when they are cohabitating with the ill patient and research shows that communication regarding the illness is important, yet challenging. This study therefore explored effects of a family caregiver-targeted web-based psycho-educational intervention on communication about incurable illness and remaining life between spouses and patients receiving specialized home care.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the long-term impacts of a family-based psychosocial intervention (FTI) on parents dealing with life-threatening illness, focusing on their perceptions regarding the timing and effectiveness of the intervention.
  • Nine parents were interviewed 4-5 years post-FTI, indicating that it helped alleviate loneliness and provided communication tools that some still use, supporting healthier emotional expression in children.
  • Parents expressed a desire for ongoing support tailored to their individual needs after FTI, highlighting the importance of peer support gained during the intervention for coping with challenges both during and post-illness.
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Background: Cancer is still the leading cause of non-accidental death in childhood, although the majority of children diagnosed in high-income countries survive their illness. In accordance with international standards, equal and early access to palliative care should be available to children and adults. Yet communication and prognostic disclosure may influence the timing of involvement in palliative care.

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This study aimed to assess how parents perceived treatment-related side effects during acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment. Parents of children 1-17.9 years at diagnosis in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark who were alive and in first remission ≥6 months after end of ALL treatment were asked to respond on specific items regarding how their child was affected by side effects related to vincristine (VCR), corticosteroids, peg-asparaginase (ASP), and maintenance therapy, as well as overall impact of these treatments, complications in general, and their perception of impact on their child in comparison with other children with ALL.

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