[Home-based occupational therapy and primary care nursing program]

To determine the impact of a home-based occupational therapy and nursing program, on autonomy in activities of daily living, quality of life, and falls in people with chronic diseases and complex needs.

A pre-post quasi-experimental quantitative study with a consecutive sample based on the usual clinical practice of home care teams. The Barthel Index, Lawton & Brody Scale, Short Falls Efficacy Scale, Life Space Assessment, Quality of Life Index, and falls in the last two months were assessed. A paired sample pre-post hypothesis contrast analysis was performed, stratified by sex and care profile.

A total of 115 participants were recruited, of whom 8 were dropouts. The program showed statistically significant improvement in all indicators. Notably, the Barthel Index increased by 10,0 (IC 95%: 8.2; 11.8) (p≤0.001), reducing the level of dependency from severe to moderate. The Lawton & Brody scale increased by 0.6 (IC 95%: 0.4; 0.8) globally, and the percentage of participants with at least one fall in the past two months decreased from 40.4% to 2.0%.

The intervention performed by the occupational therapist is key in the promotion of autonomy, falls prevention and quality of life. It is a value to be taken into account in the configuration of home care teams in primary care.