Sometimes much more medical intervention is needed for a person's safety and continuity. What really separates home health care from formal health care is the physical environment itself. Homes aren't designed to house healthcare providers. The supports available at hospitals to help caregivers perform their tasks may not be available or feasible at home, which can contribute to occupational injuries. Based on workers' compensation records, Meyer and Muntaner (199) discovered that 52 injuries occur per 1000 home health care workers per year, a rate that ranges between nursing home workers (132 per 1000) and hospital workers (46 per 1000).
When compensation was awarded for permanent partial disability, 63% of the time it was for a back injury. However, if all injuries are taken into account, 63% were due to overexertion and falls; and 13.5% were due to car accidents. A study compared lower back injury rates between nurse aides and home health aides and found that home health aides had much higher rates of lower back injuries (Myers, Jensen, Nestor, & Rattiner, 199. The majority of injuries to home health aides occurred during planned patient-related activities).Most injuries also occurred without the use of lifting equipment, and 40% of the injuries occurred at bedside. In addition, 88% of home health aides were working alone when the injury occurred.
These statistics indicate the need to better understand the nature of these injuries and the importance of designing technological supports for home health care providers that can protect them and their patients from injuries and errors. As parents and loved ones age, their well-being and safety can become important concerns. For all of us, our memories can struggle with age and that can affect the way we take care of ourselves. This can range from forgetting to take daily medicines to having trouble getting out of bed or falling at night. It can be scary and annoying for an adult child to watch their parents age and struggle, but it's important to know when they need extra help.
If you think your parents need extra daily help, there are many care options available. From home care workers to 24-hour residential care. Below, we highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of home and residential care, to help you make the right decision for your loved ones. Although studies have compared different treatments for wounds, the most effective treatments for different wounds are unknown due to the presence of several risk factors found in the home health care setting.
Expand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare staff with HealthStream workforce development programs and services. SMEs reported that, in general, health professionals must have one or two years of experience before working in the home health care field. This understanding can be gained by conducting a detailed needs assessment that captures the common challenges and difficulties faced by home health care providers. The national campaign to improve the quality of home health care uses a multidisciplinary approach to improving quality that includes key stakeholders in home health, hospitals and doctors.
Technological supports and other interventions have the potential to alleviate these burdens on healthcare providers, but only if those who design such technologies and interventions have a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the challenges and the resulting needs of healthcare providers. To meet this requirement, hospitals must develop better communication systems for exchanging health information between medical staff and caregivers. To avoid potential liabilities, many home health care companies avoid hiring health providers who are new to the healthcare field. While these estimates are based on studies of hospital settings, these patterns are likely to exist in home health care settings as well.
Nearly 1 in 10 patients admitted to home health care facilities had pressure ulcers and approximately one-third were at risk of developing new ulcers; however, according to one study, only 27 percent of patients with existing ulcers and 14 percent of those at risk were receiving appropriate treatment to lower pressure. The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (CDC, 2000) reported that more than half of home health care patients received help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL). HealthStream's learning management system and healthcare training solutions support medical education initiatives and help provide the best care for patients. The third phase of the study focused on conducting structured interviews with home health care providers.
