RESEARCH QUESTION

1. DOES SKILLED HOME HEALTH CARE ASSIST IN DECREASING REHOSPITALIZATION RATES FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS? RESEARCH QUESTION NEED FOR RESEARCH “The goals of home health care services are to help individuals to improve function and live with greater independence; to promote the client’s optimal level of well-being; and to assist the patient to remain at home, avoiding hospitalization or admission to long-term care institutions (Alster, Cushman, Ellenbecker, Samia2008).” Home health care agencies assist with further education, assessments, and monitoring once the patient leaves an acute care setting. Home health agencies goals are to cut down on ER visits and hospital readmissions. CHRONIC ILLNESS “Chronic Disease is a long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured. As described by the Centers for Disease Control, chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States.(The Center for Managing Chronic Disease 2011).” Chronic illness is the cause of many hospitalizations and re-hospital admissions. SKILLED HOME HEALTH CARE All patients discharged within three months at an acute care setting are monitored and recorded, keeping track of those whom are discharged with skilled home health care. A study is started to record all admitting patient's with chronic illness and all re-admitting patients with chronic illness after discharge. All patient’s that have been discharged with skilled home health care put into place are compared to the ones whom were not discharged with home health care. How do these numbers compare? Did skilled home health care assist in decreasing hospital re-admission rates? RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS Patients with chronic illness whom have been discharged from an acute care setting. RESEARCH STUDY PLAN PREDICTED RESEARCH FINDINGS IMPORTANCE OF REASEARCH In researching the effects of skilled home health care on discharged patients; benefits may be seen with skilled home health care put into place. If hospital admission rates can be decreased, the healthcare industry as well as patients would benefit with skilled home health care assistance. REFERENCES EllenbeckerCH, Samia L, Cushman MJ, et al. Patient Safety and Quality in Home Health Care. In: Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008 Apr. Chapter 13. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2631/ BenbassatJ, Taragin M. Hospital Readmissions as a Measure of Quality of Health Care: Advantages and Limitations. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(8):1074-1081. doi:10.1001/archinte.160.8.1074. The Center for Managing Chronic Disease. What is Chronic disease? (2011). University of Michigan. “Hospitalizations account for about half of all health care expenses, and it has been estimated that 13% of the inpatients in the United States use more than half of all hospital resources through repeated admissions (Benbassat 2000).” Hospital readmissions usually happen within one month of being discharged from a hospital or an acute care setting. Those patients with chronic illness have higher hospitalization rates and more to follow through with once they return home to keep their illness stable. Many times controlling chronic illness means a lifestyle change. Patients, families and caregivers need to be knowledgeable in chronic illness management to be able to assist in cares. Ferris State University By Karley Daniel Skilled Home Health Care: Do Patient’s Benefit?