WHAT IS HOME HEALTH SERVICE?
Home health service can be briefly defined as health service that brings together patient and health worker at home conditions. The aim of home health services is to provide the necessary support required for seriously ill patients, who are bedridden or whose movement is restricted, in order to continue their treatment at home. Moreover, home health service aims to improve quality of life by enabling elderly people to live independently at their homes or environments.
Home health services began systematically first in USA in 1965 and then it started to become widespread. After USA, it also became popular in other countries all over the world. First regulation in Turkish Health System was promulgated in 2005. That regulation was promulgated for the aim of disciplining home health services mostly performed by private sectoruntil that time. The directive regarding giving home health services by health institutions and organizations bound to Ministry of Health has become effective in 2010. The works of Ministry in this field is increasing day by day. According to the directive updated in 2016, home health services are performed by training and research hospitals and state hospitals operating as bound to Ministry or by home health service unitsestablished within the structure of branch hospitals and oral and dental health centers. Together with these units, service is provided via society health centers, family health centers and family doctors.
The mission of home health services is not to diagnose diseases. Within the frame of diagnosis and planned treatment previously determined by doctors with related specialties, its missions in patient’s home environment include examination, investigation, testing, treatment, giving medical health and rehabilitation services,prescription of drugs whose long term use is documented with health report on condition that special arrangements in prescription of drug remain hidden, helping to take reports regarding use of medical device and materials, informing patient and his/her family about duties required to be done during home health process and disease and health processes, and providing services like education and counsellingabout accurate and appropriate usage of medical devices and equipmentthat are related with disease and needed to be used at home.
For example, supporting the relatives of patients who arefed medical foods by means of enteral feeding tubes, collecting samples at home for various blood and urine tests when needed, and administering serum treatments that can be performed at home are among the services given by home health units within this scope.
Furthermore, when it is decided to refer patients, they are responsible for transfer of patients from home to health institutions and from health institutions to home. Home care units in related regions have patient transportation vehicles for this purpose. Costs related to transportation are not invoiced to the patient. 112 emergency health services are responsible for patient transportations in emergency situations.
In the unit providing you with home health support, in addition to a doctor, a nurse and a health officer, there can also be a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a dietitian, a social service specialist and a spiritual health expert.
HOW AND WHEN CAN YOU GET HOME HEALTH SERVICE?
Private institutions, Ministry of Health, and municipalities can give home health service.
In order to benefit from home health service through Ministry of Health, the phone number 444 38 33 is dialed and a registration for patient is made on the system. Then, family doctor and assistant health personnel make a home visit for first evaluation and planning home care.
Home health service can also be provided by province or county municipalities. In order to get home health service from municipalities, the communication phones of the related municipality can be dialed.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF HOME HEALTH SERVICE?
• Person in need of home health service feels freer and more in control.
• Family and familiar environment help patient in the treatment process.
• The patients’ own rules are given importance.
• Infection risk for patient in home health care is lower than the risk while staying in hospital.
• Home health service contributes positively to quality of life.
• Getting home health service is easier for patients, who are unable to go to hospitals.
WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF HOME HEALTH SERVICES?
• Home health services have a structure requiring a detailed education program and a tight control.
• It may not be always possible to establish an effective and positive communication between health personnel, and patient and his/her family.
• Daily patient home health activities such as dressing, cooking, bathing, house cleaning, laundry, and giving medicationscan be difficult for family members, and this can lead to extra pressure on them.
• That health personnel cannot always be at patient’s home is one of the constraints of home health services.
The vast majority of patients getting home health services consist of the following:
• Those needing health care after surgery,
• Orthopedics and traumatology patients,
• Patients with cardiovascular diseases and hypertension,
• Hemiplegic (paralysis) patients,
• Oncology (cancer) patients,
• Patients with lung and respiratory diseases,
• Diabetic patients,
• Neurology patients,
• Patients in need of oxygen therapy,
• Newly born babies and their mothers,
• Elderly and disabled people in need of health care,
• Those requiring wound care, injection, infusion, and other short-term nursing cares,
• Those needing laboratory investigation and test services,
• Those in need of any kind of medical equipment in their homes.
The physical and psychological health of family and society can be protected and treated with home health service. This kind of palliative care is one of most appropriate methods to improve quality of life. It leads to better results for public health of countries and it also decreases health costs.It can be said that moving individualized health system to home gains quickly its place in health systems in developing and developed countries.