Evaluation of the services provided to patients registered to the home care unit of Denizli buldan chest diseases hospital

Introduction and Purpose: Today, many factors such as the prolongation of the average life expectancy, the increase in the elderly population in need of medical support, the developments in the field of medicine and technology, allowing the majority of health services to be provided at home, increase the importance of home health services. İn accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO), home care; It is defined as the provision of care services in the home environment through informal and formal caregivers. The most common opinion about home care services is "it is a good solution to ensure the independence of patients, improve their quality of life and ensure their continuity." In this study, we intended to appraise the services provided to patients registered in a home care unit and the sociodemographic and clinical properties of the patients. Material and Method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 141 people who were registered in Denizli Buldan Chest Diseases Hospital Home Care Unit in 2022 and received any health service from our unit and met the inclusion criteria. The data of the study were gathered by using electronic media and "patient and physician evaluation forms". The questions in our study consist of 2 parts, namely the sociodemographic and clinical properties of the patients and the services provided to the patients. Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index questionnaire forms in the patient files were also included in our study. SPSS 22.0 package program was used in the assessment of the data and the statistical significance value was admited as p<0.05. Results: Of the participants, 61.7% (n=87) were female, 51.1% (n=72) were 80 years or older (mean age 73.2±18.9). 44.7% (n=63) were married and 44.7% (n=63) were widowed, and most of the widowed patients were women (p<0.001). 92.2 percent (n=130) had less than 9 years of education. 38.3% (n=54) of the participants, none of whom are currently actively working, were agricultural workers during their active period. Most of the 47 patients who never worked were housewives (76%; n=36). Most of them had low family income (70.2%; n=99) and 63.8% (n=90) evaluated their income expenditures equally. At least one chronic illness was detected in 96.5% (n=136) of the patients, and the most common disease diagnoses were; neurological diseases (66.7%), hypertension (64.5%) and cardiovascular diseases (40.4%) were found. It was observed that 56% (n=79) of the participators were fully bedridden and 22.7% (n=32) had pressure ulcers, and the presence of pressure ulcers increased as bed dependency increased (p<0.001). The mean Barthel index score of the people participating in the study was 28.1±24.7, and when categorized, 47.5% (n=67) were fully dependent, 45.4% (n=64) highly dependent and 7.1%. It was seen that ten of them (n=10) were moderately dependent. The patients contained in our study were visited an average of 8.8±21.5 times in a year, and our monthly visit frequency was found to be 2.5 on average. The most frequently offered services to patients are; prescribing (54.6%), blood sampling for examination (36.2%) and specialist physician consultation (27.7%) were observed. Conclusion: The majority of the participators are female patients and people aged 80 and over. Almost all of the participators had at least one chronic illness, and the most common diagnoses were; neurological diseases, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. While more than half of the participators were fully bedridden, approximately one fourth of them had pressure ulcers. According to the Barthel Scale, about half of the participators were found to be fully dependent. The patients contained in our study were visited a mean of 8.8 times in a year, and our monthly visit frequency is 2.5 on average. The services most offered to patients are; It was seen that there were prescription writing, blood collection for examination and specialist physician consultation. In our study, it is seen that most of the patients who are provided with home health services have a low income level, are fully dependent on the bed and have difficulty in performing their daily living activities. Home health services, which will be ensured by a professional team, will not only meet the health expectancies of the patients and increase their life quality, but also reduce the frequency of hospitalization and prevent unnecessary expenditures and will contribute economically to the patients and our country. Therefore, it is essential to plan the services offered in home care well and to be constantly updated and arranged in line with the requirements of the patients. Key Words: Home Health Services, Daily Living Activities, Life Quality