WARMINSTER, PA, NOVEMBER 26, 2024 –
What is Home Healthcare?
Home Healthcare, also known as domiciliary care, is medical and/or personal care provided in a patient’s home. Home healthcare can be tailored to a patient’s specific needs, whether this be in terms of the care provided, the frequency of visits, and/or the period of time healthcare is required. Home healthcare may be requested by the patient’s family or ordered by medical professionals.
The Types of Home Healthcare
Reportedly poised to reach over $666 billion (USD) by 2031, home healthcare is a broad and thriving industry, and can cover many different areas and levels of patient care.
General Home Healthcare
In its broadest sense, home healthcare entails providing a range of healthcare services away from the typical hospital/healthcare setting, delivered in the comfort of a patient’s home. Home healthcare professionals can help with a wide range of tasks, such as:
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Managing, administering and/or collecting prescription drugs and medication.
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Aiding with washing, dressing, brushing hair, or toilet trips.
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Helping patients with getting in and out of bed.
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Preparing meals and drinks.
Specialized Home Healthcare
Specialized care at home is also available for individuals with more complex healthcare needs. This can involve palliative care, recovery care (e.g., from an injury or surgery), preventive care, or disability support. Again, for a set period or on a rolling basis, qualified home healthcare workers can help patients with their defined treatment plan, administer the required drugs/medications, and assess or report any issues.
Home Help
Taking a step back from the more intensive types of home healthcare outlined above, ‘home help’ is another service commonly offered by home healthcare providers. Less ‘medical’ than the previous options, home help typically involves a carer visiting an individual’s home to help with general domestic tasks such as cleaning, laundry, changing bedding, and washing up.
The Benefits of Home Healthcare
Both business and healthcare research have shown that home healthcare offers patients abundant and wide-ranging advantages. Together, the benefits outlined below help ensure a positive patient experience and improved health outcomes.
Convenience
First and foremost, one of the most significant advantages of home healthcare for patients is its convenience. Through home healthcare, patients have access to qualified healthcare professionals without having to leave the comfort of their homes. Patients can save time and money, which would have otherwise been spent traveling to and from appointments. In turn, such convenience is especially beneficial in cases where patients find it difficult to travel to appointments (for example, they are too unwell/frail or need a means of transportation).
Flexibility
Depending on a patient’s medical condition(s) and requirements, receiving care at home could be an option. This can be great for those needing more flexibility to fit healthcare around their circumstances or schedule.
Familiarity
For some, healthcare appointments can be anxiety-inducing. Treatment in a familiar setting such as the patient’s home can be beneficial in such instances and where possible. The simple familiarity and ability to be surrounded by home comforts, family/friends, and even pets can improve the patient experience.
Personalization
As suggested, an essential aspect of home healthcare is personalization. In the home setting, more patient-centered care can be provided. In hospital settings, it is typical for one healthcare professional to split their time between multiple patients at a time, whereas in home healthcare scenarios, 1-1 care and, in turn, a more human experience can be guaranteed.
As such, with home healthcare professionals often assigned to specific patients, they can build rapport and an understanding of individual patient’s needs over time. As follows, healthcare professionals can tailor their approach as required. Ultimately, such personalization helps to improve patient perceptions and experiences overall.
Trust & Companionship
As suggested, home healthcare is more conducive to patients and healthcare professionals building rapport over time. This can be highly beneficial for patients in terms of trust, companionship, and, in many cases, reducing feelings of loneliness.
Maintain Independence & Quality of Life
For many patients, home healthcare is an excellent way to maintain independence. By introducing personalized care at home (as opposed to moving into residential care), individuals can maintain the lifestyle they are used to and, in some cases, even improve their quality of life. Likewise, opting for home healthcare provision over a lengthy hospital stay can also be less disruptive and can help to preserve patient independence. Providing healthcare at home in a way that suits the individual patient is integral to improving patient satisfaction overall.
Reduced Family Stress
Many families often feel a considerable amount of stress when it comes to caring for relatives. With home healthcare, families can achieve better peace of mind knowing their loved one receives the necessary care and support from qualified healthcare professionals. For example, with home healthcare intervention, family members no longer worry about managing medication or making time around their busy work schedules to help out effectively.
Cost-Effective
Lastly, home healthcare is often a more cost-effective option for patients. For many, selling the family home to pay residential care fees is a common and unfortunate reality. However, unlike residential care, home healthcare can be paid for hourly and is more flexible regarding start/end dates and the frequency of service (e.g., until the patient has recovered from an illness/disease).
The Advantages of Home Care for Healthcare Providers
As the following section will explore, providing health care services in the comfort of patients’ homes can also be advantageous for healthcare providers.
Improved Patient Outcomes
It has been widely reported that home healthcare can result in positive health outcomes. By ensuring timely, 1-1 care from qualified, experienced professionals, providers can guarantee a certain level of patient care, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Enhanced Patient Experience
As was explored in the previous section, home healthcare can be an excellent way to ensure a positive patient experience. Thanks to its many benefits for patients, home healthcare is a lucrative option for healthcare providers looking to unlock new levels of patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes.
Increased Staff Morale
Home healthcare staff are typically assigned a given number of patients that they will then see on an ongoing, regular basis. This allows healthcare professionals to build rapport with their patients. It is feasible that this ability to build relationships with patients over time can help to boost staff morale and provide a sense of fulfilment.
Cost-Savings
Again, rounding off on a financial note – domiciliary care not only saves patients money but can also offer cost-savings for healthcare providers. For example, recent research has shown that, in some instances, treating older patients at home rather than in the hospital can be more cost-effective while, in turn, helping to improve patient outcomes.
Havis Solutions for Home Healthcare
As a global provider of technology mounting and mobility solutions, Havis is proud to offer a continually expanding portfolio of solutions for home healthcare applications. Reliable, durable, and built with user experience in mind, Havis solutions improve patient satisfaction and boost healthcare worker productivity.
Mobile Protect Solutions
In modern home healthcare, mobile computing and tablet solutions have become integral to providing care and related services. With mobile devices, home healthcare professionals can easily access information from the central healthcare system, log the treatments/services provided, report patient issues/changes, take payment, and more.
So, in light of the inherently mobile nature of home healthcare work, Havis’s proprietary Mobile Protect solutions are ideal for use in home healthcare environments. Mobile Protect cases provide device protection on all corners and sides and feature high-quality soft-grip material for an improved grip experience. Couple these features with the optional belt clip and chargers*, Havis Mobile Protect solutions give home healthcare workers peace of mind when using technology on the go, enabling them to do their job confidently and efficiently. Browse the full Mobile Protect range on our website here.
In-Vehicle Mounting Solutions
In keeping with the reality that home healthcare workers are constantly on the move, Havis also offers a comprehensive portfolio of robust, in-vehicle mounting solutions. From suction cup mounts and cupholder mounts, to more advanced docking stations, Havis has it all. With Havis’s innovative in-vehicle solutions, home healthcare professionals can securely mount and charge essential mobile computing devices and tablets on the go between patient appointments. Ensuring devices are always protected, charged and ready to go mobile is key to maximizing device uptime, and consequently, to employee productivity.
Conclusion
As this blog has explored, home healthcare is a lucrative industry with benefits for patients and healthcare providers. With Havis’s innovative solutions for home healthcare applications, healthcare providers can empower their employees and enhance the patient experience. It is truly a win-win!
To learn more about Havis solutions for home healthcare, or to browse our full range of solutions for healthcare, visit our website here.
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ABOUT HAVIS
Havis, Inc. is a privately held, ISO 9001-certified company that is the leader in providing robust and reliable end-to-end technology mounting and mobility solutions in demanding environments. The Havis legacy dates back over 80 years as a trusted designer and manufacturer of critical equipment that ensures technology is accessible, secure and reliable.
Havis’s engineering and manufacturing teams are committed to consistently researching and developing unique products and solutions for a range of industries worldwide. With headquarters in Warminster, PA, and additional locations in Plymouth, MI, Burnsville, MN, and in the UK, Havis currently employs more than 400 team members. For more information on Havis, please call 1.800.524.9900 or visit http://www.havis.com.
