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Home Health Nursing Procedures

Home health nurses provide care in a patient's residence. These patients--of all ages--may have a variety of medical conditions, including cancer, injuries from an accident or other illnesses. Nursing duties in a home setting include offering patient care, educating families concerning diagnosis, administering medication and reporting findings to physicians. A home health care nurse generally earns around $44,600 per year, according to Allied Physicians.

  1. Evaluation

    • Home health nursing procedures begin with evaluating the patient's status. This is done by telephone or during the first visit from the nurse. The nurse is dispatched by the physician to the home. If the patient is recovering from surgery or was recently released from the hospital, the first visit will generally be on the following day. The physician and nurse work together to form a plan of care based on the evaluation.

    Patient Care

    • Basic vital signs and required testing, such as a blood sugar test, are performed at a home health care visit. Charting all of the information is important for a home health nurse. A home health nurse also provides the care prescribed by the treating physician. The care plan is based on the individual patient's needs and may include medication, catheter insertion and changing, bandaging and trimming nails for a diabetic.

      An assessment is completed at each visit. If any changes are noted, the home health nurse reports to the physician. The length of time for an initial care plan is generally 60 days, but it may be extended if need is determined by the nurse and physician.

    Discharge

    • A physician oversees and acknowledges when a patient is ready to be discharged from home health care. Upon request, a nurse visits the patient's home to initiate the discharge process. The nurse re-evaluates the patient's condition to determine if the care plan was successful. This process includes making a final examination of the patient. She takes vital signs and performs any required tests, recording the results.

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