Clinical outcomes and quality of life of home health care patients

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in home health care patients according to change in health status outcomes between the start of care and discharge or 60 days, whichever came first. Methods: This is a prospective descriptive study. The convenience sample consisted of 100 home health care patients, who started receiving home health care services from a home health care agency in the United States. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) was used for measuring QOL; activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs were collected from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set data via Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-required home health agencies. Descriptive statistics, paired t tests, and multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. Results: ADLs and instrumental ADLs of participants significantly improved between start of care and discharge or 60 days. Overall QOL, general health, and three of four QOL domains (physical, psychological, and environmental, but not social domain) were significantly improved at discharge or 60 days. Conclusion: Home health care nurses should maintain and improve the functional ability of patients, as this could improve the QOL of these patients.