Home health nursing competencies are integrated knowledge, skills, judgement and attributes required of a nurse working in home health to practice safely and ethically. Home health nurse encompasses disease prevention, rehabilitation, restoration of health, health protection and health promotion with a goal of managing existing problems and preventing potential problems. Home health activities includes teaching, curative interventions, end of life care, rehabilitation, support and maintenance, social adaptation and integration for the family care giver(Canadian home care association) and involving, initiating coordinating, managing and evaluating the resources needed to promote the patients maximum level of health and function
DEFINITION OF HOME NURSING
Home health nursing is a nursing speciality in which nurse provides multidimensional home care to patients of all ages.
CONCEPT OF HOME HEALTH CARE
• The concept of home health care is to mean any type of care given to a person in their home
• Home care providers render services in the patients’ own home. These services may include some combination of professional health care services and life assistance services
• People wanted to be in home and to direct their care even when their health is compromised
• With the increase in aging population, concomitant chronic disease or cost of health system and the demand for high quality, places a greater demand for home care
• Home care is truly contusive to a client centred approach, which puts patient at a centre of care and supports them through the care continuum
• Home health nurses are highly skilled, and got strong interpersonal skills that support a patient centred approach and have proven a positive outcome, especially in older adult, wound care and end of life care
• The current strong demand for home health nursing will only increase, and the profession is solidly positional to evolve by means of enhanced education and support
PURPOSES OF HOME HEALTH CARE
* In response to a need felt by an individual in the family as in case of sickness, delivery, surgery
* As a part of a planned visiting programme e.g., routine prenatal visits
*To investigate the source of an infectious disease in which case you may be rejected instead of being wanted
*To follow through on some problem identified in the health centre, school, industry or hospital
*To assess nutritional and immunization status, environmental hazards and give health education
* To follow treatment and care given by family members To supervise and guide other health workers
PRINCIPLES OF HOME HEALTH CARE
* Plan the work so that visits are made on the basis of need; divide your intensive area into units of 800 – 1,000 population each, and plan for regular visits to the homes in selected units at a time
* Be sensitive to the person’s feelings and need at the time of the visit
* Understand the other person’s point of view
* Be sure of the scientific soundness of the subjects you discuss
* Use safe technical skills. Including hand washing, inspection, etc.
* Have a full understanding of your agency’s policies
*Attain a working knowledge of the community resources and use them wisely
* Collect facts about the home, the patient and the environment and make an objective analysis of the facts as an initial step in visiting the home
*Work with the person and family plan jointly
* Evaluate your own work – quality is more important than greater value than 8 or 10 casual visits
* Make a note of important facts in your diary
*On return, record facts in the family folder and/or individual health cards
HOME HEALTH CARE SERVICES
It includes various services such that
* Family health services
* Information education and communication
* Management of informative system
* Maternal and child health services
* Treatment of minor ailments
* Organising of clinics and camps
* Waste management