Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the situation of nurses in home health care, who regularly work in isolation without the benefit of peers or essential supports, unlike nurses in hospitals, which have the benefit of safety and security measures provided by the institution. The paper points out that home health care nurses are predominately female and are subject to high physical and psychosocial demands. Furthermore, many of these nurses work in isolated rural settings, making them more prone to physical assault, sexual assault and various forms of workplace violence, as well as personal injury related to heavy lifting. The paper argues that the most important point about health and safety issues is that they impact of the care the client receives. To conclude, the paper maintains that the goal for all home health care agencies must be to ensure the safety of both staff and patients, and this may be achieved through employee awareness and in agency commitment to the staff.

From the Paper:

"Home health care is a rapidly expanding industry because of such factors as an aging population and decreased hospital stays. With that expansion have come increasing incidents of violence in the workplace. Surveys of nurse reveal that problems related to safety in the home care field have escalated. These problems range form verbal and physical abuse, along with threatening animals to visible weapons and illegal drugs (Sylvester & Reisener, 2002). In addition, nurses in home care very often work in areas where the crime rate is above the national average. All of these issues and concerns create a potential impact on patient care and patient outcomes (Fazzone & Barloon, 2000). When nurses are in continual fear over their safety, this situation is certain to affect the quality of care."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brulin, C. & Winkvist, A. (2000). Stress from working conditions among home care personnel with musculoskeletal symptoms. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31 (1), 181-189.
• Fazzone, P. & Barloon, L. (2000). Personal safety, violence, and home health. Public Safety Nursing, 17 (1), 43-52.
• Foster L. & Brown, R. (2003). Improving the quality of Medicaid Personal Assistance through consumer direction. Health Affairs, 1 (6), 162.
• Sylvester, B. & Reisener, L. (2002). Scared to go to work: A home care performance initiative. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 17 (1), 71-83.

Visitors who viewed this Essay also liked these:

• Analytical Essay # 132288 : "Nurse's Role in the Home Health Care Agency"
• Persuasive Essay # 105942 : "Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Public Health"
• Case Study # 114817 : "Health and Safety in Stadiums"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: