 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Eunhee Cho, MPH, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 420 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6096, 215-878-7586, choeunhe@nursing.upenn.edu
Background: Although the demand for home care continues to grow, the evidence regarding its effectiveness has been equivocal. Objectives: To evaluate the evidence regarding if and how home care contributes to the outcomes of diabetic patients, who are high users of home care. Method: A systematic review was conducted with 32 studies evaluating the effectiveness of home care for diabetic patients using the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts. Results: Home care positively influences diabetic patients’ glucose control and reduces utilization of other health services. However, home care had little impact on their quality of life. There is a paucity of data on the effect of home care on self-care knowledge, emotional status, health behavior, health outcomes (except glucose control), and total cost savings. Conclusion: While physiologic measures such as glucose control improved in the short term, this review found that long-term health behaviors, such as diet, exercise, weight control, and smoking cessation were not improved by home care. Furthermore, few studies examined the effects of home care on caregiver related variables. The conceptual framework utilized in this review provides an approach for future research on how home care influences patients and caregivers, and what interventions and policies are needed to improve these outcomes, which are valuable for gerontological health. It will also be useful in determining how the quality of care in home care should be measured and what outcome measures must be considered in such studies.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Home Care, Outcome Measures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.