[A Retrospective Investigation of Cases in Which a Contract Was Not Concluded after a Referral for Home Care]

Cases in which the contract was not concluded after a request for home visit care was received were retrospectively surveyed. Seventy-nine new requests for home visit care were received over a period of 6 months from January 1 to June 30, 2018. Of them, a contract was not concluded in 18 cases(22.8%). Among the cases in which no agreement was reached, 9 patients were male and 9 were female, mean age was 84.6, and the patients' afflictions included dementia, orthopedic disease, malignant tumor, incurable neurological disease, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Reasons for not reaching an agreement for home care included that the patient him- or herself did not feel the need for home care because the patient's condition worsened soon after the referral, for financial reasons, the patient had a strong aversion to letting outsiders into his or her home, a desire to continue outpatient treatment, the patient's home was beyond the area that could be visited, the patient's primary physician determined that home visits were possible after the referral was received, and because the patient wanted to continue treatment with a specialist.