Home visits to elderly patients in Saudi Arabia

The present study was conducted to examine the perception of participating physicians in hospital and primary health care (PHC) on the nature of illness that requires home visits, type and job description of health personnel that should make home visits and other prerequisites needed for successful home visits. A predesigned questionnaire consisting of demographic and professional characteristics of doctors was sent confidentially to randomly selected PHC and hospital doctors during the period January to June 1994. The respondents were asked to give their opinion on the categories of health problems that necessitate home visits, job descriptions of various professionals needed and the prerequisites for the successful running of home visits. Three hundred and ninety-six PHC and 238 hospital doctors participated in the study. PHC doctors were younger, having more females and less qualified than hospital doctors. Both PHC doctors and hospital doctors gave priority to bed-ridden patients and lowest priority to mobile chronically ill patients. PHC doctors were more keen on home visits than hospital doctors. More PHC doctors than their hospital counterparts would like nurses and health visitors to be involved in nursing procedures performed at home except when it comes to notifying doctors about patients' problems. In case of stroke more hospital doctors would like physiotherapists to be involved than PHC doctors and vice versa in the case of osteoarthritis. Most PHC doctors preferred occupational therapists involvement in training patients and the modification of their environment to lead independent lives. More hospital doctors than their PHC counterparts preferred afternoon sessions for home visits. The respondents' views in the present study can be made use of in establishing a home visit programme to the Saudi elderly to need of such services. In addition, the number, qualifications and responsibilities of the various professionals involved in the visit should be re-evaluated after adequate implementation.