Managing the care of patients discharged from home health: a quiet threat to patient safety?
Threats to patient safety can originate from the overuse or underuse of care, in addition to provider-initiated errors. The past decade has seen a dramatic decrease in the duration and volume of home health services provided per patient by Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs). Research findings have been mixed with respect to the impact of home health utilization on patient safety and outcomes. This study aimed to explore a related yet fundamental question: How confident are home health nurses that their patients can manage their care when discharged from home health services?
Flynn
Linda
L
New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, Rutgers College of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA. lflynn@rutgers.edu
D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012648:Self Care