Balancing In-Person and Virtual Home Visits: a Descriptive Analysis of Family-Level Outcomes

Home visiting programs have traditionally provided their services in person. Due to COVID-19, programs were forced to change this prior practice and began offering services virtually. Prior literature has documented the successes and challenges of offering home visiting services virtually, but little is known about today's practice of offering hybrid (combining in-person and virtual) services. The purpose of this descriptive analysis is to examine the relationship between family-level home visiting outcomes and the percentage of home visits a family completes in person. We examine administrative data from home visiting programs funded by the state of New Mexico during a period of hybrid home visiting. A total of 3180 families who received a mix of virtual and in-person visits are included in the analysis. Family-level home visiting outcomes measuring program dosage, program engagement, screenings, and referrals for outside services are examined. We find the percentage of visits conducted in person was not associated with the total number of visits received. However, a higher proportion of in-person visits was associated with greater total home visiting hours, higher likelihood of completing the home visiting program, increased screenings, and a greater number of referrals to outside services. These findings suggest that while hybrid home visiting may maintain visit frequency, in-person visits may facilitate the home visiting curriculum and goals.