The Director of Nursing (DON) or sometimes referred to as Director of Patient Care Services DPCS) is a more senior member of the agency. They are managers of the home health agency, especially pertaining to clinical care, but with administrative and business duties as well. Directors work closely with the administrators or owners of the …
Chapter 44 – Director of Nursing (DON/DPCS) in Home Health Read More »
Duties A medical social worker (MSW) in a home health care setting performs a variety of important tasks to ensure that patients are receiving the highest quality of care possible. They provide support and assistance to patients and their families, as well as coordinate services such as medication, home care, counseling, and transportation. They may …
Chapter 43 – Medical Social Worker in Home Health Read More »
A speech therapist, also known as a ST, is a member of the health care team that provides Speech Therapy services to patients. They perform their duties according to the standards of clinical practice and work under the supervision of a physician and nursing supervisor. Job description A speech therapist (sometimes called speech pathologist) in …
Chapter 42 – What is a Speech Therapist in Home Health? Read More »
Occupational therapists are trained professionals who assess a patient’s functional needs and help them learn new skills. OTs are typically mistaken as PTs and although their job functions overlap, they have distinct differences, as OTs focus more on the fine motor skills and activities of daily living. PTs focus more on gross mobility such as …
Chapter 41 – What Is Home Health Occupational Therapy? Read More »
Home health physical therapy involves a licensed therapist coming to a patient’s home to provide individualized treatment plans typically involving the gross movements of the musculoskeletal system. This specialized service is designed for patients with acute conditions or limited mobility, and is covered by most insurance plans. Home health physical therapy focuses on improving a …
Chapter 40 – The Role of the Physical Therapist in Home Health Read More »
Home health aides typically perform unskilled patient care intermittently (as opposed to continuously) around 30 to 45 minutes at a given time a certain number of times per week as one of the representatives of the home health agency. Sometimes they are referred to as Certified Home Health Aides (or CHHA). CHHAs perform similar functions …
SN is short for skilled nursing. An SN can either be an RN or LVN. RN visits patients for observation, assessment, and evaluation. Home health nurses also keep journals of each patient’s condition. These visits are non-reimbursable. RN visits are required for COVID-19 monitoring and may be provided in the patient’s home for the duration …
Chapter 38 – What is SN in Home Health Skilled Nursing? Read More »
It is important for nurses to know the various roles in a home health agency in order to effectively communicate their report to the agency. Nurses who know the roles in home health agencies can better utilize the agency for the benefit of the patient. The role of case management in home health is to …
Chapter 37 – The Role of Case Management in Home Health Read More »
This is an overview of Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) and how it can improve interprofessional communication and reduce the risk of harming patients. You’ll also learn how it can help your team. You can especially use it after your home health visits as you report to the home health agency or case management …
Chapter 36 – The SBAR Communication Technique for Reporting Read More »
We’ll discuss lessons learned from hundreds of EMR implementations and the benefits and drawbacks of mastering a new system. In particular, we’ll discuss how local user cultures affect implementation, the need for better training, and the importance of knowing why. To help you understand the benefits of an EMR, we’ll also discuss why learning two …
What is the role of Quality Assurance in Home Health? What do the outcomes look like?What is a quality outcome? Why is it important? How can a home health agency use it to make improvements? What are the benefits of a quality outcome? Knowledge development The challenges of QA in the home care setting are …
Consumers often wonder how to go about assessing home health care providers based on star ratings. Care Compare through Medicare.gov provides this information based on the latest health care provider performance measures. This website is also how you can find different home health agencies and research about them as patients. As a consumer of healthcare, …
Chapter 33 – Five Star Rating Considerations For Home Health Agencies Read More »
It is not enough for nurses to have knowledge, but be able to perform certain psychomotor skills to help with patient care. The following are just some of the common psychomotor skills that nurses must be able to perform competently and confidently in home health: VITAL SIGNS/LAB: Taking Vital Signs which include: Blood pressure measurement …
The term “Nursing Interventions” refers to a system of care classifications. Each classification describes the activities that a nurse performs during the planning stage of a nursing care plan. The following article will discuss some of the most important nursing interventions and explain why they are crucial. It will also show why collaboration is so …
A nursing diagnosis can be a part of the nursing process. Nursing diagnosis is a clinical judgment about an individual’s or a community’s experience in relation to potential health problems or life processes. A nursing diagnosis can help determine the proper course of action for an individual’s care. History The first Canadian Conference on Nursing …
DME stands for durable medical equipment. It is a reusable device that provides a therapeutic benefit to the patient for a long period of time. It is more expensive than an alternative service DME is a type of medical equipment that is used to treat or manage certain conditions. DME must not be more expensive …
Chapter 28 – What Is Durable Medical Equipment (DME)? Read More »
There are many different classes of drugs, each with its own unique classification and effect on the body. Depending on the type of drug, drugs can be classified into two categories: prescription and non-prescription. OTC drugs include remedies for common maladies and are available in lower doses than prescribed. Here are some common classifications for …
Chapter 27 – Some Common Medication Classifications Read More »
Nurses can easily perform medication reconciliation, but there are several barriers that may prevent this vital task from being performed. These obstacles include: Time and effort; Patient-associated factors; and Low effort interventions. To overcome these obstacles, nurse must know the most important strategies. Listed below are some suggestions for medication reconciliation. Use them wisely! Obstacles …
Chapter 26 – Medication Reconciliation For Nurses Read More »
When caring for a patient, hand hygiene is critical to the prevention of infection. You will learn about the benefits and best practices of the bag technique, including how to implement it in a home health setting. Choosing a nursing bag While home health nurses carry large amounts of supplies during the day, nurses working …
Chapter 24 – The Bag Technique for Home Health Nurses Read More »
Managing patient safety in the home is a vital part of providing quality care at home. There are many different aspects to consider, from fall risks to medication safety. In addition to reducing patient safety risks, we discuss emergency preparedness and neighborhood safety. These tips will help you plan for and manage your patient’s needs …
Chapter 23 – Home Safety For Patients and Nurses Read More »
