DIABETES IN HOME HEALTH

Running Head: DIABETES IN HOME HEALTH

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DIABETES IN HOME HEALTH

Diabetes in Home Health

NRS -490

Yeni Hernandez

4/28/2019

Diabetes in Home Health

Diabetes is becoming a main problem in the United States. Currently, data from Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that over 100 million people in the United States are suffering from diabetes or prediabetes. This number is very huge and dealing with it is a matter of urgency. With the high number of patients, and the amount of time patients spend in hospitals continuing to reduce, home health care is becoming a very good option for all diabetes patients. Home health care is being used to provide holistic health care to patients and improve health outcomes. Many of the individuals suffering from diabetes together with other conditions do not recognize diabetes as a focus of care, according to American Diabetes Association (2018). This paper will focus on the discussion of diabetes and the effects of home health care on the health outcomes.

Problem Statement

With the increasing problem of diabetes, more and more patients are relying on home health care to help them in dealing with diabetes. With the huge number of people dealing with diabetes, it is very important to come up with ways to improve health outcomes. In the United States as stated earlier, more than 100 million people are suffering from diabetes or prediabetes conditions. Diabetes is a main problem which brings with it other complications such as kidney failure. Therefore, control of this condition is very important. With the huge number of people suffering from diabetes, and the low priority being given to the diabetes in hospitals, finding a solution to improve the health outcomes for the diabetes patients is critical. Additionally, there is a large number of diabetes patients who are above 65 years. In fact, about 42 percent of the diabetes patients in the United States are above the age of 65 years.

Intervention

With the high number of people suffering with diabetes in the United States, and the increasing cost of health care, finding alternative ways to offer high quality health services to the patients would be very important. In fact, use of home health care to help diabetes patients to deal with the condition, would be very important. All diabetes and prediabetes patients, especially the patients who are over the age of 65 years, would benefit a lot from home health care, as it offers more comfort to the patients, lowers the risk of other infections to the patients, saves the patients and the government a lot of money, and it improves the overall quality of life among the patients (Han, Ma, Wei, Tian, Yang, Shen & Shi, 2017)..

Comparison of Survey Questions

Health care services to the diabetes patients are provided within hospitals or at home. Home health care is proving to be very important in improving how health services are provided to the patients. There are various questions which should be answered. First, does providing health care services in a home setting, more comfortable to the patients? What makes home health care special and better, compared to hospital setting when dealing with diabetes? How does it improve patients’ quality of life?

It is true that home health care is very important in improving patients’ comfort while they are being attended to. In fact, compared to hospitals where patients do not prioritize diabetes, managing diabetes is better done in home health care settings (Linekin, 2003).. In hospitals, diagnosis of high levels of glucose in the blood of elderly people is not given any priority in hospitals. This is concerning and it makes home health care one of the best ways to help deal with the problem. Other important ways through which home health care is impacting the health sector in the United States, is through the reduction of the cost of health care services, and the improvement in the quality of life of patients (Linekin, 2003)..

Outcome

Home health care has improved the health outcomes among diabetes patients. However, some challenges still exist, with many patients still having toxic glucose levels in their blood (Linekin, 2003). There are studies which have revealed that there is still some uncertainty about how effective home health care is, to diabetes patients (Han, Ma, Wei, Tian, Yang, Shen & Shi, 2017). According to Ellenbecker, Samia, Cushman & Alster (2008), home health care plays a very important role in providing patients with the autonomy they require, which is very important in improving their quality of life.

Time

The data collection was carried out by different researchers, since 2003 with another study being done in 2008 and the other one in 2017. All these studies have shown some similarities in the effects of home health care in helping diabetes patients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, home health care is becoming very important when it comes to dealing with the huge burden of diabetes within the United States. However, with the uncertainty in its effects, it is essential to ensure that better health services are provided through the home health care. When implemented well, it can improve the quality of life of the patients, the health outcomes, and the stability of glucose level among the patients. To improve the knowledge concerning this topic, it is essential for future researchers to look at how home health care improves the overall understanding of health impacts of home health care to patients living with diabetes.

References

Ellenbecker, C. H., Samia, L., Cushman, M. J., & Alster, K. (2008). Patient safety and quality in home health care.

Han, L., Ma, Y., Wei, S., Tian, J., Yang, X., Shen, X., … & Shi, Y. (2017). Are home visits an effective method for diabetes management? A quantitative systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of diabetes investigation, 8(5), 701-708.

Linekin, P. L. (2003). Home health care and diabetes assessment, care, and education. Diabetes Spectrum, 16(4), 217-222.