Evaluating the introduction of positive health on the amount of received home care among older patients: A pre-post study

Abstract

Background: The increasing demand for home care services can be attributed to demographic shifts. Positive Health can be defined as the capacity to adapt and promote self-reliance in social, physical, and emotional challenges. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the influence of introducing Positive Health on the amount of home care nursing for older patients, measured in minutes per week over a six-week period. Method: A pretest-posttest study involving 176 randomly selected patients in each group. Data was extracted from the Electronic Health Record of a large home care organization in the Netherlands. Findings: Post-introduction of Positive Health, the median weekly home care amount significantly decreased (176.25 minutes, IQR=111.7–287.9) compared to pre-introduction (180.67 minutes, IQR=83.8–248.7, p=0.005). Significant differences in nursing diagnoses per patient group were observed (p<0.001). Discussion: Further research is needed to observe the long-term impact of working with Positive Health concept on patient outcomes in home care setting.