By Mr. Sotirios Doumas, Technological Nurse, MSc, Scientific Associate of ANASSA Clinic
Home Nursing is an activity that takes place in the living area of the person who is in need of specific health services. These services are planned and implemented in an individualized manner, i.e. according to the specific needs of the patient and his/her family environment and are carried out by specialized Health Professionals. The philosophy of the system is based on the fact that the patient can be treated in the familiar atmosphere of his or her own home, among family members who are actively involved in the whole effort, avoiding the impersonal environment of the hospital.
At a global and national level, the number of people who need Home Care has increased significantly in the last decade, because there has been an increase in the proportion of elderly people, there is now the possibility of applying complex and demanding techniques at home, public awareness of the health services that can be carried out in patients’ homes, and because in many cases it is necessary to reduce the time patients spend in hospitals.
In view of the above, a number of scientific studies have been carried out in order to make it possible to reduce costs in terms of hospital care and to improve the health services provided to citizens.
Home care is one of the key areas of Primary Health Care. Home Health Care is defined as “The provision of health care services in the home by professionals for the purpose of promoting, restoring and maintaining the person’s maximum degree of well-being, functionality and health”.
These services are classified as preventive, curative, rehabilitative, chronic disease care and palliative, covering a wide range of procedures with the most common being those related to:
- Care of the chronically ill
- Administration of drugs, oxygen, injection therapies, etc.
- Care of people with special needs
- Conducting examinations
- Day care, e.g. care of bedsores, blood pressure control
- Medical care by or under the supervision of a physician
- Supporting individuals and their families to avoid unnecessary hospital admission
- Helping elderly and chronically ill patients maintain a good standard of living
- Providing services by specialized health professionals at home to patients who are in the final stages of the disease. The aim is the possibility of dealing with death in the family environment for a death as painless as possible
There are specific reasons that make Home Care particularly important, some of which are as follows:
- The lack of hospital beds but also the lack of medical and nursing staff
- The increase in the percentage of elderly people who need special care for multiple chronic diseases and needs
- The patient’s possible lack of an available family member to provide care at home
- Cost reduction which comes from the reduction of hospitalization days in nursing institutions
In recent years there has been an increase in public awareness of health services that can be provided at home, while reducing emotional stress on patients and family members.
Advances in medical technology have led to the possibility of applying complex therapeutic techniques at home, always with the assistance of qualified health professionals, e.g. taking x-rays at home.
In this context of cooperation between patient and health professional, the role of the nurse is particularly important, since nursing work is based on the patient’s needs, i.e. his/her biological, spiritual and social needs, but also on the needs of his/her family, which is his/her main carer.
The main role of the Home Care Nurse is to provide individualized nursing care, to continuously assess the patient, his/her needs and his/her response, while constantly setting new objectives.
The aim of the whole process is to reactivate the patient, in order to prevent as much as possible his dependence on others and to increase as much as possible his level of self-care and independence.
It has been shown that patients who are treated at home, recovering in their family environment, cope better with their illness, are more easily able to implement their treatment regimes and find their mental balance more easily.