Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
A Modified Sonographic Algorithm for Image Acquisition in Life-Threatening Emergencies in the Critically Ill Newborn
Published on: April 7, 2023
Current state of home health in children with medical complexity
Teresa Kodiak1, Megan Quinn1, Linda Zekas1
1Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, USA.
Insights
A shortage of trained home health nurses and financial barriers hinder care for medically complex children. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving health outcomes for these vulnerable children and their families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Home Health Services
- Healthcare Workforce Challenges
Background:
- Rising survival rates of extremely preterm infants increase the number of children with medical complexity (CMC).
- Home health services are a right for children in the US, but demand is outstripping supply.
- A significant gap exists in the trained and compensated workforce for home-based care of medically complex children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on challenges in home health services for children with medical complexity.
- To identify common themes and supporting data regarding workforce and resource limitations.
- To highlight areas for future research and advocacy.
Main Methods:
- Systematic identification of existing research on home health services for CMC.
- Thematic analysis to synthesize common findings across studies.
- Overview of identified themes and supporting evidence.
Main Results:
- A consistent lack of resources within the home health sector was identified.
- Financial barriers significantly impede the provision of adequate home health services.
- The impact of these limitations on the health and well-being of families and caregivers is substantial.
Conclusions:
- Focusing on recruitment and retention of home health nurses is a critical next step.
- Specialized training is needed for nurses caring for CMC at home.
- Further research is required to fully understand and address the multifaceted challenges in this field.
Background:
Home health services are a right for children in the US, but higher survival rates of extremely preterm infants have led to an increase in children with medical complexity (CMC) and therefore an increased demand for home health services. Unfortunately, an adequately trained and compensated workforce to support medially complex children at home does not exist.
Methods:
After identifying the existing research, common themes were identified. This article was written to give an overview of these themes and highlight specific supporting data.
Results:
A lack of resources in the home health arena and the financial barriers that accompany them, as well as the clear impact this issue has on the health and well-being of families and caregivers, were frequently present in the literature.
Conclusions:
Reasonable next steps for research and advocacy include a focus on recruitment and retention of home health nurses, as well as training specific to the level of skill required to adequately care for CMC. Further research is needed, as in our search we found several unexplored, unassessed avenues that could help health care professionals understand the problem more fully. These steps are necessary if we want CMC to live the healthiest life available to them.
More Related Videos
07:20Author Spotlight: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Movement Observation in Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
11:21Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
01:29Concepts of Health and Illness
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...