223584 Integrated Health Care without Walls (IHC-WOW) House Calls: Innovative collaborative model of delivering health care to individuals with serious mental illness

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 5:10 PM - 5:30 PM

Marjorie Charles-Damte, MS, NP-BC , College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Judith Lloyd Storfjell, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kathy Christiansen, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Marsha Snyder, PhD, CNS , College of Nursing, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL
Judith Mc Devitt, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Emily S. Brigell, MS, RN , College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
ABSTRACT Background: Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) experience a 25 year reduction in life expectancy as compared to the general population. The house call component of IHC-WOW is designed to reduce disparities in access to health and health outcomes of this underserved population by delivering culturally competent healthcare by an advanced practice nurse (APN) in the community. The provision of evidence based care is a multidisciplinary effort provided in collaboration with a community-based psychiatric rehabilitation agency and the use of wireless internet technology. Methods: The house call component of the primary care outreach program, WOW was initiated in Spring 2009. House calls were offered to individuals with SMI that were identified by the community-based psychiatric rehabilitation agency as lacking primary healthcare and consented to receiving care at home or various community settings. Provision of primary care services include but are not limited to; health screening, physical assessment, vaccinations, laboratory testing, individualized plan of care (including lifestyle modifications), prescriptions and on-going evaluation and monitoring. A portable wireless device with internet access was used as an aid in patient teaching and as a resource for medical decision making. Results: The delivery of primary health care via house calls is an innovative method of addressing the unmet healthcare needs of individuals with SMI. This presentation will provide a description of the challenges and successes obtained. Conclusion: Individuals with SMI experience a shortened life span largely due to treatable medical conditions. Expanding the provision of health care to individuals with SMI into the community will ensure accessible, quality care ultimately leading to the reduction of disparities in access to health and health outcomes.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Communication and informatics
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective: By the end of this session participants will be able to: 1) Describe the innovative multidisciplinary approach to providing primary care services to individuals with SMI in various community settings. 2) Discuss how the delivery method of providing primary care services via house calls contributes to the reduction of health disparities in individuals with SMI. 3) Discuss how the use of wireless internet technology aids in the process of providing evidence based care and patient education.

Keywords: Public Mental Health, Nurse Practitioners

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an an abstract Author on the content because I am responsible for methodology and implementation components involved in delivering primary care to the underserved population described in the abstract.
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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