[Economic Effect of Home Health Care Services for Community-dwelling Vulnerable Populations].
OBJECTIVE
In this study the costs and benefits of a home health care program were examined to evaluate the economic feasibility of the program.


METHODS
The study participants included 349 patients in the community who had been registered at a home health care center for 5 years. The costs and benefits of the program were analyzed using performance data and health data. The benefits were classified as the effects of pressure ulcer care, skin wound care and catheters management. The program effect was evaluated on the change of progress using transition probability. Benefits were divided into direct benefit such as the savings in medical costs and transportation costs, and indirect benefits which included saving in productivity loss and lost future income.


RESULTS
Participants had an average of 1.82 health problems. The input cost was KRW 36.8~153.3 million, the benefit was KRW 95.4~279.7 million. Direct benefits accounted for 53.4%~81.2%, and was higher than indirect benefits. The net benefit was greater than 0 from 2006 to 2009, and then dropped below 0 in 2010.


CONCLUSIONS
The average net benefit during 5 years was over 0 and the benefit cost ratoi was over 1.00, indicating that the home health care program si economical.
Division of Nursing, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea.
Eunhee
E
Lee
College of Nursing, The Resrarch Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. jinhyun@snu.ac.kr.
Jinhyun
J
Kim
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004322:Drainage / Q000451:nursing; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000451:nursing / Q000473:pathology; D012042:Registries; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017592:Skin Care / Q000451:nursing; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000451:nursing; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000451:nursing / Q000473:pathology
Catheters; Cost-benefit analysis; Home care services; Pressure ulcer; Wounds and injuries