Home health services for previously hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients with circulation ailments: a research...

This research note is an investigation of the effectiveness of a home nursing program which compares a group of patients with circulation problems who were hospitalized prior to service with a similar group which was not hospitalized. Four outcome measures are utilized: mortality, stabilization, hospitalization, and nursing home confinement. It is hypthesized that because of the greater likelihood of complication and severity of illness experienced by the hospitalized patients, they should exhibit higher mortality, hospitalization and nursing home confinement, and lower stabilization at discharge. The hypotheses are analyzed by means of the t-test. Results indicate the hypotheses to be in the direction expected with the exception of nursing home confinement which is more likely to occur among those not previously hospitalized. Implications of this study suggest that home health programs would seem to have a greater chance of success among circulatory patients who are not hospitalized prior to service. In analyzing the effectiveness of home health programs in the future, investigators should recognize the intervening effects of hospital admission on the patients.