Determinants of subsequent home health care nursing service use by hospitalized patients with cancer.
BACKGROUND
The authors examined the extent to which specific patient characteristics and length of hospital stay were capable of independently explaining the use of home health care nursing services by hospitalized patients with cancer after discharge.


METHODS
The current study represents a secondary analysis of a data set originally gathered to identify the home health care needs of patients with cancer. The sample involved 87 patients with cancer who received home health care after hospitalization and 43 patients who did not receive such services.


RESULTS
A logistic regression analysis indicated that home health care use was related to patient age, length of hospital stay, and level of symptom distress. Specifically, the likelihood of home health care use was found to increase among subjects older than 50 years of age, subjects with hospital stays of more than 7 days (apparently related to surgery), and those who experienced moderate to high levels of symptom distress.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate a need for home health care nurses to be skilled in the management of cancer symptoms and in the complex problems commonly experienced by the postsurgical patient with cancer.
Yost
L S
LS
School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6096.
McCorkle
R
R
Buhler-Wilkerson
K
K
Schultz
D
D
Lusk
E
E
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010351:Patient Discharge; D015143:Philadelphia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support