How home care agencies in Germany view the AIDS challenge: results of an exploratory study.

The purpose of this article is to examine the current state of home care services for people living with HIV/AIDS and other seriously ill patients in Germany. It is based on a research project promoted by the Federal Ministry for Labor that aimed to investigate the possibilities and problems related to home care of the critically ill and thus establish basic scientific principles that could be used to close a health care gap that has long been of concern. The article will initially offer a brief explanation of the causes underlying the current problems in the field of home care for seriously ill patients. The authors then present the implications for nursing qualification that will have to be addressed to develop a patient-oriented, priority-level home nursing care program for people with HIV/AIDS in Germany.     

Addressing incontinence for people with dementia living at home: a documentary analysis of local English community nursing service continence policies and clinical guidance

Aim and objectives. To establish whether the problems and issues experienced by people with dementia living at home and their carers were addressed in the clinical guidance for continence management for community nursing services in England. Background. Internationally, the numbers of people with dementia are rising. Managing incontinence is a significant issue as the presence of incontinence is one of the triggers for people with dementia to move their residence to a care home. People with dementia living at home and their family carers report difficulties in accessing knowledgeable professionals and acceptable continence products. Design. A review by documentary analysis of clinical policies and guidance from a sample of community nursing services in all Strategic Health Authority regions of England. Methods. A sample of clinical policy and guidance documents for continence assessment and management from up to four community nursing services in each of the ten Strategic Health Authority regions in England was sought. Documentary analysis was undertaken on the relevance of the documents identified for people with dementia living at home. Findings. Ninety‐eight documents from 38 local community nursing services spread across ten Strategic Health Authority areas were obtained and analysed. Only in the documents of three services were nurses offered detailed guidance about the management of incontinence for people with dementia at home. In the documentation of only one service were people with dementia identified as a special case which warranted the provision of additional continence products. Conclusion. Clinical guidance on continence assessment and management for community nurses in many parts of England does not address the specific needs of people with dementia living at home or their carers. Relevance for clinical practice. Nurses working in community settings and those providing clinical leadership in continence care should review their clinical guidance and policies to ensure relevance for people with dementia living at home and their family carers.     

Specialist or generic community nursing care for HIV/AIDS patients?

Improved management of HIV-related illness means that patients spend over 80% of their time in non-institutional settings Most community-based health care in the United Kingdom is provided by primary health care teams general practitioners and community nurses, with support from social workers However, in many areas specialist HIV services have assumed responsibility for the care of HIV/AIDS patients, and primary health care teams have only played a marginal role Our study examined patterns of community nursing for HIV/AIDS patients in one regional health authority, North-East Thames (NETRHA) Interviews with 77 people in seven health districts included community nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists (CNS) HIV/AIDS and palliative care nurses The appropriateness of different nursing models was assessed, taking into account the changing epidemiological and demographic profile of the disease, the influence of dedicated HIV funding, and the effect of recent British National Health Service reforms Three models of care have developed in NETRHA specialist HIV teams, individual CNS HIV/AIDS acting as a resource to generic staff, and care given by generic community nurses Our work suggests that both generic community nurses and patients benefit from specialist input, and that this should be provided using CNSs HIV/AIDS in an advisory and facilitative capacity     

Evaluation of services for people with HIV/AIDS in an inner-city health authority: perspectives of key service providers

This paper reports the findings of the first phase of a study designed to assess the needs of people with HIV and AIDS and the extent to which these needs are being met by services in Camberwell Health Authority in inner London The study involves collecting information and opinions from key service providers, clients with HIV/AIDS and their informal carers It is the service provider data which will be presented here Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 47 key service providers involved in the care and support of people with HIV/ AIDS in the Camberwell Health District Respondents were drawn from the local health services, local social services departments and a number of locally active voluntary organizations The aim was to gather respondents' views on their individual roles and the roles of the organizations they represented, the health and social needs of people with HIV/AIDS and the extent to which these were being met by current service provision and the co-ordination of services for people with HIV/AIDS The data showed that a broad range of services were utilized by people with HIV/AIDS, reflecting a wide variety of health and social care needs The majority of respondents felt that some of the needs of people with HIV/AIDS were similar to those of people living with other chronic illnesses (such as cancer) However, they also identified a number of problems which were either unique or more severe for people with the virus Services for people with HIV/AIDS were generally felt to be poorly coordinated and a number of areas of overlap and gaps in service provision were identified     

Health promotion for frail older home care clients

AIM: This paper reports a study evaluating the comparative effects and costs of a proactive nursing health promotion intervention in addition to usual home care for older people compared with usual home care services alone. BACKGROUND: An ageing population, budget constraints and technological advances in many countries have increased the pressure on home care resources. The result is a shift in nursing services from health promotion to meet the more pressing need for postacute care. For frail older people with long-term needs, these changes combine to create a fragmented system of health service delivery, characterized by providing nursing on demand rather than proactively. METHODS: A two-armed, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was carried out with older people > or =75 years and eligible for personal support services through a home care programme in Ontario, Canada. Participants were randomly allocated either to usual home care (control) or to a nursing (experimental) group. In addition to usual home care, the nursing group received a health assessment combined with regular home visits or telephone contacts, health education about management of illness, coordination of community services, and use of empowerment strategies to enhance independence. The data were collected in 2001-2002. RESULTS: Of the 288 older people who were randomly allocated at baseline, 242 (84%) completed the study (120 nursing group; 122 control group). Proactively providing older people with nursing health promotion, compared with providing nursing services on-demand, resulted in better mental health functioning (P = 0.009), a reduction in depression (P = 0.009), and enhanced perceptions of social support (P = 0.009) at no additional cost from a societal perspective. CONCLUSIONS: Home based nursing health promotion, proactively provided to frail older people with chronic health needs, enhances quality of life while not increasing the overall costs of health care. The results underscore the need to re-invest in nursing services for health promotion for older clients receiving home care.     

基于信息化平台网格化居家护理服务模式的构建及应用

目的基于信息化平台网格化管理构建居家护理服务新模式,以期有效解决居家康复群体医疗护理需求。方法2018年11月浙江省台州市成立居家护理服务中心和居家康复护理技能培训中心,建立网格化居家护理服务模式,落实优质护理资源下沉,让社区护士成为居家护理主力军;2019年11月建立居家护理服务信息平台,打造线上、线下一体化居家护理分级管理体系,通过信息共享,分级派单,保障居家护理服务高质、便利、安全。记录2020年1-5月网格化居家护理服务开展情况和患者满意度,评价实施效果。采用χ²检验进行统计分析。结果台州市共28所二级以上医院、123个基层医疗机构、1171名社区护士入驻居家护理信息平台。2020年1-5月护理人员共提供居家护理5274例次,其中上门护理4472例次,线上护理802例次;上门护理患者满意度为98.73%(4415/4472),线上护理患者满意度为98.25%(788/802),两种服务类型满意度比较差异无统计学意义(χ²=1.136,P=0.286)。无投诉、不良事件及护士安全问题发生。结论基于信息化平台的网格化居家护理服务模式可以充分发挥社区护士作用,拓宽居家护理服务范围,合理进行医疗资源配置,为居家康复群体解决医疗护理问题,有效推进分级诊疗。     

Palliative care of patients with a primary malignant brain tumour: case review of service use and support provided

Individuals with a primary malignant brain tumour require intensive palliative care services because of the symptoms and cognitive problems they experience. Many of these patients stay with their families at home, being supported by palliative care home teams rather than being admitted for hospice care. The provision of respite care and community services to support these families goes largely unreported. This study arises out of a need to review support services for patients and carers within one cancer and palliative care service. This retrospective case analysis identifies that there are a range of services used in the community to support patients with primary malignant brain tumours but that only a small proportion receive inpatient hospice care. District nursing services were extensively used but also a high number (74%) of patients were admitted to local hospitals for symptom management. This paper attempts to explore the services utilized but also questions the apparently limited provision of hospice care for supporting individuals in the palliative care stages of such an illness. This paper considers the illness trajectory, the complex symptoms experienced by patients and respite services utilized. Issues of those engaged in informal care giving and in the provision of support for those with a primary malignant glioma are also considered.     

The Community Medical Alliance: an integrated system of care in Greater Boston for people with severe disability and AIDS

The Community Medical Alliance in Boston has adapted principles of prepaid managed care to redesign service delivery for people with severe physical disability and with late-stage AIDS. Experience to date suggests that the flexibility of capitation can be used to substantially shift care from its usual hospital focus to clinicians in home and community settings, especially nurse practitioners, with a high degree of patient satisfaction and without apparent compromise in quality. Instead of limiting access, managed care can use prepayment to support early interventions, coordination, and the development of services specifically designed to meet the needs of the target population.     

The home as a framework for health care

The past two or three decades have witnessed a steep rise in the cost of health and social services. It is anticipated that this uphill climb will continue and bring these systems to a complete collapse within a few decades. The prevention of this crisis depends on the elimination of some of the causes of the rise; (a) we do not want to save costs by sacrificing the quality of our services; (b) we have no control over the quantity of clients utilizing these services, or the seriousness of their problems; (c) we can, however, replace part of the expensive institutional care by the more natural and cost-effective home care, supplied by volunteers, strengthened by human and technological services. These principles guided an Israeli organization called Yad Sarah, whose leadership in the supply of home and community care enables thousands of ill, elderly and disabled people to remain at home, and thus save the high cost of institutionalization.     

Early intervention services for persons with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C: a community health center perspective

Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey has been involved in care for patients with HIV/AIDS since 1991. In that year, the organization received funding as the lead agency for a Title II grant to establish an HIV/AIDS Consortium consisting of over 20 organizations, including other home care agencies, hospitals, county boards of social service, and other community providers. The Consortium collaborated to establish a thorough network of services: housing, transportation, medical treatment, medication access, support, resource identification, and education for both the infected and affected. As the linkages became stronger, the quantity and quality of services increased so that patients were receiving state-of-the-art health care while wrapped in a blanket of comprehensive supportive services.     

Hospital‐based home care for people with severe mental illness in Taiwan: a substantive grounded theory

Aim and objectives. The purpose of this study is to generate a substantive theory of hospital‐based home care for people with severe mental illness in Taiwan. Background. Despite the documented advantages of hospital‐based home care services, there is a lack of information and understanding regarding the practices, functions and limitations. Currently, there is no model for how those services are to be provided and what factors will affect these services. Design. The grounded theory method of Strauss and Corbin (Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques, SAGE Publications, 1990) was used to develop a substantive theory through a paradigm model, including causal conditions, context, intervening conditions, action/interaction strategies and consequences. Methods. This study was conducted in six different hospital areas in Central Taiwan in 2007–2008. Data were collected using semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews. Constant comparative analysis continued during the open, axial and selective coding process until data saturation occurred. Participants were selected by theoretical sampling. When theoretical saturation was achieved, 21 clients with mental illness, 19 carers and 25 professionals were interviewed. Results. A substantive theory of hospital‐based home care for people with severe mental illness in Taiwan was developed. The core category was the process of hospital‐based home care in helping people with severe mental illness, with 15 categories and 33 sub‐categories of the substantive theory. Conclusion. The substantive theory is the first to emerge from hospital‐based home care services in Taiwan. Results showed those services had several effective functions for helping people with severe mental illness and their families. Relevance to clinical practice. The recommendations based on the findings of this research can be used as a guide to improve the delivery of hospital‐based home care services to community‐dwelling people with severe mental illness and their carers.     

Development of elderly care services in Hong Kong: challenges and creative solutions

Elderly care services in Hong Kong began in the mid-1970s, with health and social services modelled on the UK experience. A major difference is the lack of a well-developed primary care system. As a result, geriatric service has evolved to encompass primary care, to include outreach geriatrics and psychogeriatric support to long-term residential care homes as well as frail elderly people living at home. There is room for innovation in the provision of community care, led by geriatricians, especially in management of chronic disease, incorporating the components of self management and use of telemedicine. Various models could be developed and evaluated to define which best meet the needs of the ageing population. The results would guide future government policy for health and social services for the elderly population in the community setting.     

Hospice and home care for persons with AIDS/ARC: Meeting the challenges and ensuring quality

Every community is or will be faced with the challenge of caring for individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC). In most communities in the United States, home health care is an existing alternative to hospitalization. Although there are many potential barriers to home health and hospice care provision, these barriers are not insurmountable. As demonstrated by the community's response in San Francisco, careful planning, cooperation, and education reduce the barriers to allow persons with AIDS/ARC to receive care at home or to identify alternatives when home care is no longer an option. The AIDS Home Care and Hospice Program of the Visiting Nurses and Hospice of San Francisco is used as the model for the article. This program was the first of its kind in the world. It has developed an innovative approach to home and hospice care for persons with AIDS/ARC. Its sensitive and humane approach, offers support from early in the disease process (to assist patients as they struggle with difficult treatment decisions) until long after death occurs (to enable friends and family members to cope with the loss of a loved one). This article identifies the challenges that administrators and staff face in keeping the terminally ill individual with AIDS/ARC at home, offers suggestions to best meet the needs of the person with AIDS/ARC living at home, and suggests alternatives when home care is no longer an option.     

Development of AIDS awareness: A personal history

Support for patients, development of community services, education for care providers, personal and professional burnout, and issues of self-disclosure are some of the challenges AIDS presented to a nurse who is also a lesbian. In her work with people with AIDS, she learned new truths about herself, her colleagues, and her community; her life has been forever changed by the experience.