What is Home Health Care Medicine and Medical Equipment

Home Health Care is medical care given in your own home. A doctor must order it and certify that you are homebound and need short-term skilled care.

Licensed professionals, such as nurses and physical, occupational and speech therapists, visit you at home. You may also receive support services from medical social workers.

Dietary Assessments

Dietary assessments are necessary for identifying malnutrition and ensuring that patients receive proper nutrition. In order to assess a patient’s nutritional needs, the dietary assessment process must take into account anthropometric measurements, biochemical and clinical data.

The most important step in the dietary assessment process is collecting objective and subjective data on a patient’s food intake and medical history. This data includes the types and quantities of food and beverages consumed, as well as nutrient intake from fortified foods and supplemental vitamins and minerals.

A comprehensive dietary assessment requires accurate twenty-four-hour recalls and/or food frequency questionnaires. However, it is essential to remember that error in dietary assessment is common and can have important consequences. For example, reporting errors can skew nutrient intake estimates. Furthermore, incorrect interpretation of the data may lead to erroneous conclusions about the relationship between intake and health outcomes. This can be due to random error or systematic error. Both errors can result in a misdiagnosis or an underdiagnosis of a health problem.

Laboratory Tests

Northeast Ohio Home Health Care services include a variety of lab tests, like blood work and urine analysis. They can also include X-rays that are performed at the client’s home or at a mobile X-ray unit.

Many people choose to use home testing kits, which are easy-to-use and can provide results quickly. However, these tests can be confusing and often don’t provide a complete picture of your health. “The results from some home testing kits can be difficult to interpret, which may lead you to try unnecessary treatments or therapies or delay the diagnosis of a medical condition,” Masutto explains.

At-home blood testing is becoming increasingly popular. It is a convenient option for people who want to take control of their healthcare but may not have the time to go to a clinic for tests. With a home-testing kit such as Lab-in-a-Box, clients can draw their own blood samples from plasma tubes at the comfort of their homes. They can then send the samples to the laboratory via a mail-in kit or drop them off at any patient service center.

Medicine and Medical Equipment

In some cases, health care professionals will prescribe specialized equipment or supplies to help people at home manage their medical conditions. This includes equipment that helps patients with mobility and comfort, such as beds, chairs, and walkers. It also may include respiratory therapy equipment and monitoring devices such as blood glucose monitors or oximetry meters.

Research on device use at home has emphasized the importance of maximizing adherence to treatment regimens and the need for patient education and support services. Other factors that influence device use include the ability to follow directions and maintain devices (e.g., cleaning, sterilization, and battery replacement), as well as the emotional state of users, which may interfere with their willingness or motivation to use new devices.

The physical, sensory, and cognitive characteristics of home environments, which may be noisy, cluttered, and filled with pets or vermin, also affect how well devices function there. Future devices should be designed with these characteristics in mind.

Transportation

Home health care is medically-necessary care delivered in the patient’s home. It’s often less expensive than in-hospital treatment, and is typically covered in full or in part by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance.

Home healthcare workers must be licensed by the state in which they practice. In addition, most seek additional accreditation from outside agencies to assure consumers that they meet quality standards.

The care given in the home is usually supervised by a Registered Nurse (RN). A home health aide or personal care aide (HHA/PCA) follows instructions written on a patient’s care plan and reports to a nurse.

If the patient needs any durable medical equipment, such as a wheelchair or walker, Medicare will cover 80% of the cost, as long as it meets certain criteria. The home healthcare agency will often help patients obtain the necessary equipment. If not, it’s a good idea to ask friends and family for recommendations and check out 211.