Home Health Care and the Value of the Registered Nurse
The home health care system is one of the fastest growing industries in America. Today, there has been a vast growth of services with approximately 7.6 million clients receiving care from about 83,000 providers (National Association for Home Care and Hospice, 2008, pg 1). This is an increase of 63,000 suppliers since 2004. Factors affecting these figures are; an aging population, rising health care costs, reimbursement plans, advances in technology, and a trend of clients desiring this avenue of care for various health related restrictions. Home health care encompasses the collaborative efforts of various professionals …show more content…
As providers of care, the role of patient advocate is essential to the development of the home relationship. Nurses advocate for the client by having discussions about their individual rights of health care. The patient’s wishes, which may be disclosed in Advanced Directives such as Living Wills, or Powers of Attorneys, are always protected. Another major function of the RN is to perform a comprehensive assessment that not only includes the patient, but their family or caregiver, the home environment, and the surrounding community. A plan of care is then formulated by such collective information including physician’s orders, third-party payer reimbursement, treatment required, and collaborative efforts of other healthcare professionals needed for the delivery of care. Advances in technology have made it easier for the home health nurse to communicate with the home health agency and update a client’s information on a daily basis via computer systems. The role of patient teaching in home health care nursing cannot be overemphasized. Nurses in this field are highly educated in preventing disease-related problems, promoting optimal health and encouraging independence within the client to their fullest potential. The goal is to maximize the patient’s ability to function at home with the hope of reintegrating them back into society. Areas of teaching