Home Health Care Nursing

Home health care nursing is a field accessible to registered nurses (RNs) as well as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and nurse supporters. Home health nursing staff is answerable for caring for patients in their homes and they have perform various tasks if patients and or their families are incapable to care for themselves.

Skills from many different specialties are necessary in the field of home health:

·         Medical-surgical Nursing care

·         Mental health Nursing care

·         Gerontology Nursing care

·         Paediatric Nursing care and

·         Community/ public health Nursing care

Home Health Care is the provision of medically connected  experts, Para- professional services and equipment’s to individuals and their families in their place of residence for the resolution of  promoting, preserving or repairing of  health or of  minimizing the effects of disease and disability.

Home Health Nursing includes

·         Home health nursing services empower the individuals of all ages to remain in the comfort and security of their homes while receiving healthiness care.

·         Family maintenance, familiar surroundings and participation in the care process contribute to spirits of worth and dignity.

·         Services may include skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech language therapy, occupation therapy, social services, intravenous therapy, nutritional support, home health aide, respiratory therapy, acquisition of medical supplies and equipment, and homemaker and companion care

Most home healthcare agencies required nurses who have a BSN and at least 2 years of experience as an RN in medical-surgical situations. Nurses who've operated in medical-surgical or critical care areas are generally succeed in home healthcare settings due to their comprehensive range of assessment skills. Although no specific certification is obtainable for home healthcare nursing, some nurses choose to maintain certification in medical-surgical nursing. Most patients in home healthcare settings are older than 65 and have numerous medical identifies and chronic health issues. Some of the more common include heart failure and other cardiac problems, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and osteoarthritis. 

Nurses with knowledge and experience in these areas are a good fit for home healthcare:

·         Cardiac diseases

·         Pulmonary disorders

·         Orthopaedics

·         Diabetes

·         Wound care.

Different Perspectives –

·         Official - Services are provided to persons and their relations in their place of residence for the purpose of promoting, maintaining, or restoring health or of minimizing the effects of illness, disability and incapacity

·         Patient - Skilled and concerned care is provided on a one-to- one basis in the comforting and familiar backgrounds and surroundings of the home

·         Family - It is a means to keep the family together as a functioning, integrated unit.

·         Provider - All disciplines involved are challenged to provide excellent care in often less-than-excellent conditions and surroundings. 

Where do Home Health Care Nurses Work?

Home health nursing staff can work within the patients' homes. They usually have a facility in which they bang to receive their task. After receiving their assignment, they drive to patients' home to perform the particular indicated nursing care as ordered by the physician.

What does Home Health Care Nurse Can do?

Based on their identifications, home health care nursing staff performs a variety of responsibilities.

Registered Health care nurses perform the following duties:

·         Medication administration, including intravenous infusions

·         Wound care/ dressing changes

·         Taking vital signs

·         Performing head-to-toe physical assessments

·         Drawing labs

·         Assisting with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, toileting, grooming

·         Assisting with mobility

·         Developing a plan of care with the physician

Licensed Vocational Nurses perform the following duties:

·         Medication administration, excluding intravenous infusions

·         Wound care/ dressing changes

·         Taking vital signs

·         Reporting to the supervising RN any concerns the patient may have

·         Assisting with ADLs

·         Assisting with mobility

Nurse Assistants perform the following duties:

·         Taking vital signs

·         Report to the supervising RN any concerns the patient may have

·         Assisting with ADLs

·         Assisting with mobility

Roles and responsibilities for Home Health Care Nurses

The roles and duties of home health nurses are dependent upon their separate identifications.

Registered Health care nurses are responsible for:

·         Assessing the patient's needs

·         Developing a plan of care based on individual patient needs

·         Collaborate with the patient, family, physician, and additional support staff to provide individualized care

·         Direct LVNs and nurse assistants, and provide oversight to their care

·         Evaluate patient's response to treatment

·         Monitor progress of healing/ mobilization

·         Case management

·         Direct nursing care

Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) are responsible for:

·         Collecting data and presenting findings to the RN

·         Direct task-based nursing care

Nursing assistants are responsible for:

·         Task-based nursing care

·         Report concerns/ findings to registered nurse