The impact of posthospital home care on patients with cancer.
Symptom distress, mental health status, enforced social dependency and health perceptions were measured in two groups of cancer patients, one receiving home care services (n = 49) and the other receiving no such services (n = 11). Data were obtained at hospital discharge and 3 months later. Patients receiving home care demonstrated statistically significant improvement on mental health and social dependency; patients not receiving home care did not improve on any variable. After controlling for baseline scores, the home care group had significantly higher mental health status at the second interview than the no home care group.
Center for Advancing Care in Serious Illness, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia 19104-6096.
R
R
McCorkle
C
C
Jepson
D
D
Malone
E
E
Lusk
L
L
Braitman
K
K
Buhler-Wilkerson
J
J
Daly
D000359:Aftercare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011593:Psychology, Social; D013997:Time Factors