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176564 Patient safety risk factors in the home healthcare setting

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Robyn R.M. Gershon, DrPH , Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Allison N. Canton, BA , Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Patricia W. Stone, PhD, MPH , School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY
Victoria H. Raveis, PhD , Dept. of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY
Stephanie Samar, BA , Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Marc R. Damsky, MPH , Mobile Health Management, New York, NY
Martin F. Sherman, PhD , Loyola University, Baltimore, MD
Purpose: The home healthcare sector is experiencing explosive growth, with a projected increase of 69% over the next decade. Further, the patient population served by home care is increasingly frail and elderly. Therefore, patient safety in the home healthcare sector is a topic of growing concern. Unlike traditional healthcare settings (i.e., hospital, health clinic, nursing home), the home is not only a residence, but also an unregulated work and caregiving environment, making it a challenging environment for both patients and caregivers.

Methods: A convenience sample of 1561 home health aides completed a facilitated questionnaire in order to identify risk factors for patient safety in the home care setting.

Results: Four major categories of household-related hazards were identified: unsanitary conditions (e.g., vermin), environmental hazards (e.g., air quality), slips, trips and falls hazards (e.g., loose rugs), and violence and psychosocial factors (e.g., drugs and guns in the home).

Conclusion: Household safety hazards were common in the home healthcare household, and these could adversely impact the home care patient health and well-being, as well as present risk to workers. It is necessary to develop a culture of safety, with attention to safety systems, in order to reduce the risk of injury to patients in this unregulated environment.

Learning Objectives:
1. List the five types of risk factors that may affect patient safety in the home care sector. 2. Discuss how these risk factors may impact the quality of care. 3. Identify strategies to address and reduce these risks.

Keywords: Safety, Home Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the research coordinator for the study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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