Abstract

A study was conducted to identify selected needs of patients receiving nursing care at home through the Loma Linda University Hospital Department of Home Care. The descriptive survey was used. Fifty patient home care records were reviewed.

From the general information secured, it was found that 68 percent of the patients studied were women. One-half of all patients were under sixty years of age. Fifty-four percent lived with a spouse only, while 26 percent lived with their family. There were 20 percent who lived alone and six of these were over the age of sixty. Patients were found in nine of the seventeen disease classifications furnished by the U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Forty-six different patient needs that could be met by a home care nurse were identified from the study sample. The physical needs of the patient included; health teaching, assistance in planning daily care, professional observation to assess changes in condition, assistance in carrying out activities of daily living, assistance in giving medications, assistance in carrying out needed exercise, assistance in caring for wound, assistance with urinary bladder control, assistance with bowel control, assistance in giving colostomy care, and assistance in giving tracheostomy care. Eighty-eight percent presented physical needs.

Seventy percent presented emotional needs that could be met by a home care nurse. These included the need for professional encouragement and support, assistance with worries and fears, assistance with emotional and/or family problems, assistance in accepting illness, and assistance in preparing for death.

Twelve percent presented a social-environmental need that could be met by a home care nurse. These included assistance in readjusting to the community, use of community resources, and assistance in readying the home for discharge.

Muscle reeducation, instruction in use of home equipment, instruction in use of home equipment[sic], instruction in gait walking, and instruction in breathing exercises were needs identified that could be met by a physical therapist. Ten percent showed a need for the assistance of a physical therapist.

Six percent presented needs that could be met by an occupational therapist. These included therapeutic activities for muscle reeducation and psychological support.

Four percent presented a speech disorder that required the services of a speech therapist. Twelve percent of the patients studied indicated a need for a home health aide or housekeeper. Thirty-four percent presented needs that could be met by a social worker.

It was recommended that the patient needs identified in this study be included in the development of an assessment guide to be used by hospital nurses in referring patients to home care.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

R. Maureen Maxwell

Second Advisor

Marilyn J. Christian

Third Advisor

Norma Smith

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1968

Date (Title Page)

6-1968

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Home Nursing

Type

Thesis

Page Count

vii; 68

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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