Home health care is a new emergency in nursing, where patients are taken care of in the comfort of their residence or home.
Nurses renders services like wound care, bathing, and dressing up, assisting the patient in using the toilet, etc. it is a form of personalized care
Goals of Home Health Care:
It principally and primarily provides a comprehensive, compassionate, competent and personalizes care.
It helps patients maintain independence and quality of life.
It helps patients to manage his or her condition effectively.
It prevents hospital re-admission there by achieving independence.
Team members| Personnel’s
Primary Care Physicians: They oversee the overall care plan of the patients.
Registered Nurses: They help in home health care aids.
Pharmacists: They help in the administration of medication in home health care.
Non-health care professionals in home health care includes:
Physical therapist
Occupational Therapist
Speech language pathologist
Social workers
Nutritionist / dieticians
Case managers: they coordinate the various aspect of patients care and ensure that the care meets with the patient’s needs.
Principles of Home Health care Nursing:
Characteristics / theories that should be in home health care:
Must be patient created and centered care.
Safety of the patient is important and can be achieved my making sure the environment is clean.
Accessibility and convenience for both the care giver and the patient.
Collaboration and communication between both parties
Respect for independence
Must be cost effective
Use of technology in aiding the work
Quality assurance
Family and community involvement.
Task in Home Health care:
Medical care: This has to do with the administration of medication and managing of chronic illnesses
Personal care: This has to do with assisting the individual in carrying out daily activities.
Rehabilitation services like: Physical therapy, aqua therapy, rehabilitation therapy.
Nutritional support
Emotional and physical support
Household task
Help in monitoring and management of the patient.
Role of Nurses in Home Health Care:
Clinical care
Education and guidance
Assessment and monitoring
Advocacy and support
Coordination of care.
Categories That Need Home Health Care
Elderly patients
Patients with chronic conditions
Post-surgical patients
Patients with disabilities
Patients with acute illnesses
Palliative patient
Persons with disability
Pediatric patient.
Home Health Care Challenge in Nigeria:
Infrastructure
Access to care
Limited skilled work force
Cultural factors
Finance
Lack of regulation.
Conclusion:
For an effective home health care, the care giver must go by this principle’s safety, independence, communication and privacy. Home care is also filled with a lot of benefits.