Nursing services are provided everywhere that patients in need can be found: hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, schools, prisons, camps, factories and homes. Nurses who provide services in the home often perform services during "visits" which can occur daily, weekly or according to a different schedule. The visits are typically scheduled in advance, but can occur due to a potential change in the patient's status. Home health nurses sometimes treat people with severe heart diseases.
Heart Diseases
Heart diseases and other cardiovascular diseases are common in the United States. They are often caused by poor lifestyle choices, such as smoking and lack of aerobic exercise. Obesity, diabetes, genetics and high blood pressure add to the risk of developing a heart disease. Consuming a diet high in saturated fat and consuming more calories than the body needs, leading to obesity, also increases the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, in 2000, 11 percent of home health patients had a main diagnosis of heart disease.
Home Health
Home health agencies provide nursing services to patients in the comfort of their homes. They often employ a mix of registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, medical social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists and home health aides who visit the client as needed. After assessing the patient and conferring with his physician, a registered nurse develops a care plan for the patient, which is followed by the visiting nurses and home health aides. The text "Medical Surgical Nursing" explains that physician orders comprise a significant portion of home health care practice. Most home health patients are elderly, but people of all ages may require services due to illness or injury.
Amedisys' Heart@Home Program
Amedisys is a company that provides home health nursing services to thousands of patients. They have chronic disease management programs, including a Heart@Home program that allows them to manage different types of heart and cardiovascular diseases in the patient's home. Most of the patients in the Heart@Home program have heart failure, severe or unstable high blood pressure or a history of heart attack, heart surgery or stroke, according to Amedisys' website.
Functions
Home health nurses, such as Amedisys nurses, provide a variety of services to heart patients. They take vital signs, assess cardiovascular status, administer medications and intravenous therapy and treat wounds after heart surgery. They update the patient's physician on her condition and carry out existing and new physician orders. They teach heart patients and their families how to monitor for changes in health status, what to eat for optimum health and how to be as active as possible given the patient's limitations. Home health aides take vital signs and assist the patient with activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming and eating.
Criteria for Receiving Cardiac Home Health Services
People with heart diseases receive home health services due to an order from their physician. It often, but not always, begins after hospitalization for a heart attack, heart surgery or other severe heart problem. Patients who need frequent monitoring of vital signs or cardiovascular status, assistance with following complicated or high-tech medication regimens, wound treatments or disease management education are likely candidates for cardiac home health services.
References
- Amedisys
- Amedisys: Disease Management Programs
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: FastStats: Heart Disease
- "Medical-Surgical Nursing"; Donna Ignatavicius, M.S., R.N. and Linda Workman, Ph.D., R.N.; 2002
