Home health case management: rural caregiving

Providing home health services to a rural population can be a challenge to the home health nurse. Resources are limited in the rural environment as compared with the more populated urban areas. To fill the gap between the needs of the patients and available healthcare resources, informal networks are developed within the patient's support system. These informal networks are often made up of family members, friends, and relatives. The home health nurse has multiple tasks to complete when assisting/enabling the patients and families to become independent in the care required. The use of a three-model approach in home health practice (Collaborative Practice Model, Multisystem Model, and Family Caregiving Model) can produce a system in which a high quality of care is given to the rural population, thereby meeting the needs of the community and patient.