Participation in Hospital in the Home for patients in inner metropolitan Sydney: implications for access and equity

Objective The aim of this study was to identify whether the Hospital in the Home (HITH) program was taken up equitably by eligible patients in relation to their age, sex, country of birth, place of residence and primary diagnosis. Methods This study presents results of a descriptive analysis of the administrative records of 3552 people with specific conditions who met the study criteria of potential eligibility to HITH and resided within the health district boundary. Results Systematic differences were found for participation in HITH and in-patient care according to sex, language spoken at home and socioeconomic status based on place of residence. This suggests that people from higher socioeconomic backgrounds who speak English at home were more likely to participate in and benefit from HITH. Tailored interventions were identified as a potential way to reduce the gap in access to quality health care for women and people who speak a language other than English at home. If HITH is the optimum treatment available, then these differences could be considered potentially avoidable and unfair. Conclusion Data analysis through an equity lens can effectively identify who is accessing health services and who is missing out. Further analysis is required to understand patient and system barriers to accessing HITH. What is known about the topic? Advances in medical and surgical treatments and pharmaceuticals reduce the need for in-patient hospitalisation. For some conditions, home-based treatment is safer, cheaper and preferable to the patient and carers, particularly some older people who may experience deteriorating cognitive and physical functioning related to hospitalisation. It is well known that health and access to health care is not equally distributed in society. What does this paper add? This study represents the first effort to quantitatively evaluate differences in patterns of participation in HITH related to socioeconomic and language characteristics. There are underutilised opportunities for improved participation in HITH by identifying who is not accessing programs at a comparable rate and therefore not benefitting from optimal health services. By exploring why this may be occurring at an individual and system level, we can be more informed to address these reasons and achieve better health and social outcomes. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important to consider both consumer and service provider views in shaping current and future service models. Comprehensive assessment of support needs to participate in HITH for patients and carers, as well as communicating potential benefits in ways patients understand, can improve participation and satisfaction, reduce health costs and improve health outcomes.