Home nursing and home care services are not “one size fits all.” Every patient is unique and a home healthcare agency can help create a plan of care tailored to individual medical, social and psychological needs. In home nurses will work with each patient to provide the best possible medical care depending on the patient’s needs.
Skilled, private duty, and in home nurses are frequently responsible for evaluating patient needs, formulating a plan of care, initiating and revising care plans, planning for and providing specialized nursing services, coordinating and implementing preventative and rehabilitative care modalities, and preparing clinical notes to provide physicians and others involved in the patient’s case.
Examples of care provided by in home nurses include tracheotomy care, assistance with catheterization, nutritional counseling, guidelines on medication, leg wraps, wound care and dressing changes, diabetic care, colostomy care, IV therapy, blood draws, and supervisory visits.
Teaching is often a key component of the care plan created by nurses providing home care services, in fact there is an expectation that the patient and/or their caregivers will be taught self-care skills over the course of time in which home nursing services are provided. Patients who require teaching related to illness or injury until such time that they can provide self-care, or until family members or home health aides can safely and competently provide required medical type care are ideal candidates for home care and home nursing services. In home nurses also provide community referrals to help patients and families.
The field of home care and home nursing encompasses an incredible array of services. No two patients are exactly alike and because of that the services provided by in home nurses, private duty nurses, and home care professionals will vary from patient to patient. It is this dedication to personalized service, as well as the skills and compassion provided by visiting nurses, that sets home nursing services apart from other types of health care. Individuals benefit greatly from receiving quality medical care from in home nurses.