Pediatric family home visitors: effectiveness in problem solving

A number of studies have shown the value of using home health visitors in intervention outreach programs for low-income families. This study was designed to examine the relationship between home visitors' and nurses' training/home visiting experience and their decision-making ability as determined by the Defining Issues Test (DIT). The subjects were 36 home visitors, 13 visiting nurses, and 28 controls. A difference was found between the home visitors' and nurses' training/experience levels and group scores on the DIT, F(3, 75) = 3.13, p = 0.03. The nurses were better able to make decisions based on issues of fairness and justice than were the home visitors or the controls. The findings suggest the advisability of providing educational opportunities for home visitors to improve decision-making skills.