TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WOUND CARE IN THE HOMECARE SETTING Wound Care Symposium 2016

What is Homecare? Home Health Care is a unique branch of medical practice that provides care to the homebound patient. CMS (Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services) defines “homebound” as: “There exists a normal inability to leave home and, consequently, leaving home would require a considerable and taxing effort. If the patient does in fact leave the home, the patient may nevertheless be considered homebound if the absences from home are infrequent or for periods of relatively short duration, or are attributable to the need to receive health care treatment.”

Care of the chronically ill patient: Many, but not all homecare patients are chronically ill (ex: Congestive Heart Failure, COPD, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Liver or Kidney Disease) Medical care of the chronically ill mostly takes place in the patient’s home by families, caregivers and a variety of Homecare disciplines who work together as a team Patient and family education is a critical component in meeting reasonable goals at home. The more well informed the patient and family are, the more control they have over their healthcare

Use of The Interdisciplinary Team A clinical team consisting of a group of professionals from a variety of disciplines such as: Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Home Health Aides, Speech Pathology, Dieticians, Diabetic Educators, Social Workers, Doctors and Pharmacists The team shares common goals and develop the patient’s individualized plan of care together Members of the team have complementary and overlapping skills that rely on each other to accomplish those goals in an effort to improve patient outcomes and quality of life

THE 12 C’S OF TEAMWORK Diverse perspectives produce creative solutions and effective problem solving using shared knowledge Communication Cooperation Cohesiveness Commitment Collaboration Confronts problems directly Coordination of efforts Conflict management Consensus decision making Caring Consistency Contribution

Sources The Interdisciplinary eHealth Team: Chronic Care for the Future The Handbook of Home Health Standards: Quality, Documentation and Reimbursment. 5 th Edition. T.M. Marrellli 2009