Home health nursing

Home health nursing is a nursing specialty in which nurses provide multidimensional^[1] home care to patients. Home health care is a cost efficient way to get quality care in the convenience of your own home.^[2] Home health nurses create plans to achieve goals based on the patient's diagnosis. These plans can include preventative, therapeutic, and rehabilitative actions. ^[3] Home health nurses also supervise home health aides. The professional nursing organization for home health nurses is the Home Healthcare Nurses Association (HHNA).

History

Lillian Wald is recognized as the creator of the title "public health nurse." Public health nurses of the late 1800s would provide preventative education and care to families and patients.^[4]

Roles

Home health nurses provide resources and assistance to their patient(s) and family for their daily needs.^[5] These nurses provide care for all ages.^[6] Most of the roles performed by home health nurses and health care assistants are uniform. The most frequent activities performed by home health nurses include self-care facilitation, nutrition support, drug and perfusion management, skin and wound care, diabetes care, psychosocial care, and other care^[1] such as patient education. Community nurses not only provide medical support, but also help with weight management, emotional support, bereavement, and a few other benefits. ^[7]

Self-care Facilitation

Home health nurses fulfill many duties to assist in daily activities such as dressing, bathing, cleaning after a task, and hair care.^[1]

Patient Education

After a patient is discharged from the hospital they often leave with many new health practices. Home health nurses often reinforce and clarify the information that was presented in order to prevent the return of the patient to the hospital.^[8]

See also

References