The purpose of this study was to describe the population of a Medicare/Medicaid home health agency in Galveston, identify their specific needs and assess their satisfaction with the services provided to them. The data obtained will be used to
improve
home health services in the Galveston agency.
@ES Research questions
@EN 1. What nursing care services are required by home health patients?
2. What needs for other services (3.g. therapy service, homemager/personal care services, social work services) do home health patients have?
3. What other resources do home health patients currently have to meet their needs?
4. What services do nurses provide during a home health visit?
5. How satisfied are home health patients with services received through the agency?
@ES Mathodology
@EN Two types of data were collected for this study. Data relating to patient characteristics, need for services and services provided were obtain by a review of home health records. Data relating to patient satisfaction were obtained by mailing
a
questionaire to patients after discharge. Patients still receiving services at the end of the data collection period were sent questionnaires ao that time.
A convenience sample of all patients receiving care through the agency between January and October of 1991 was used. This was a total of 121 patients. All patients receiving care at this agency meet the Medicare/Medicaid eligibility requirement,
i.e.
they must be homebound and need skilled nursing services, physical therapy or sppeech therapy on an intermittent baisis.
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
@ES Conculsions
@EN This predominantiy elderly and low-income of patients was drawn from an agency serving Medicaid clients, as opposed to an agency serving the home care needs of clients covered by insurane or clients who are self-pay patients. Although
chronically
ill (often with more than one chronic health proble), these clients seemed to be generally able to care for themselves with only shortterm home health assistance. Their most common compaints were sensory loss, decreased mobility and nutritional
problm.
The medical records give no indication of whether the patient was diagnosed as having a depressive disorder or whether of interview, the patient appeared to be depressed. Nor was there any information to indication whether patients were receiving
any
treatment or counseling for their deprssion.
The home health nurses seemed to be well-at-turned to the educational needs of these patients and recognized a high number of cases in which there knowledge deficits related to the disease itself or their therapeutic regime. The high number of
patients
with knoweldge deficits raises the question of whether there is a problem with patients failing to receive necessary in formation in the hospital, clinic or office setting or whether the knoweledge-related needs of these patients with knowledge
deficits
rarses the queestion of whether there is a problem with patients failing to receive necessary information in the hosptal, clinic or office setting or whether the knowledge-related needs of these patients were indeed identified and the patients
were
referred to the home health agency because of their knowledge deficits.
On the other hand, there seem to be very few reproductive problems among this group of aatients. and recognized high number of patients suffered from nutritional inadquaties, they seemed to have relatively few gastrontestinal problem. The most
common
problems were palpitations and nocturnal dyspnea on cardiovascular deficits.
Patients answered a high level of satisfaction both with the home health service and with skilled nursing service.
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