¶ … home health care services in extending care delivery to the home setting is increasing in contemporary times. Home health care aims to shorten hospitalization and reduce the frequency of visits to the hospital for patients recuperating from a surgical operation or disease, or living with a chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes (Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS], n.d.). It enables patients to have more independent living and a better quality of life. The author's organisation specialises in home health care. In conjunction with hospitals and physicians, the organisation delivers a wide range of individualised care services to patients at their own homes. Whereas the organisation has performed impressively in terms of patient satisfaction, there is still room for improvement. In cognizance of increased demand for home health care due to the underlying greater demand for healthcare in general, it is imperative for the organisation to design and implement an educational program for patients.
A significant proportion of medication errors, hospital readmissions, patient falls, and medication non-compliance amongst home care patients can be attributed to lack of adequate information about disease and risk factors on the part of patients (Ellenbecker et al., 2008). This problem is further compounded by poor literacy skills, which sometimes...
Indeed, the organisation has recorded a greater occurrence of these incidences in the last few years. An educational program tailored to the specific needs of patients can be effective in improving health outcomes amongst home health care patients. It can enhance self-care on the part of patients, thereby minimising or avoiding unnecessary rehospitalisation.
Target Population
Older adults aged 65 and above comprise the target
population for the educational program. Senior citizens are the major consumers of home health care services, with the consumption being highest in individuals with low incomes (Ellenbecker et al., 2008). Common health care services received by the
elderly in the home setting revolve around
pain management, injury, heart disease, circulatory disease, respiratory disease, as well as musculoskeletal disease. These conditions are more pronounced amongst the elderly compared to the rest of the population (Ellenbecker et al., 2008). Due to
aging, a substantial number of older adults grapple with reduced cognitive ability, weak reading skill, and diminished functional strength, which may limit their ability to comply with medication or comprehend health information provided to them by home caregivers (Ellenbecker et al., 2008). This justifies the need for an
educational intervention for this population.
Benefits of the Program
An educational program for patients will have important benefits for both the patients and the organisation. The program will seek to increase patient's understanding of the risk…
