Artikel
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on home health care: focus-group results from different perspectives
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Autoren
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Anne van den Bulck
- Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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M.H. de Korte
- Tilburg University, Department of Economics, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), Utrecht, the Netherlands
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A.M.J. Elissen
- Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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S. F. Metzelthin
- Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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I.H.J. Everink
- Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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M. C. Mikker
- Tilburg University, Department of Economics, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), Utrecht, the Netherlands
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D. Ruwaard
- Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| Veröffentlicht: | 5. Juli 2021 |
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Gliederung
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Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the main focus in healthcare was on delivery of acute COVID-care. Delivery of non-COVID care in the home was less in the picture, while continuation of home health care (HHC) might be essential to prevent increases of care demands.
Objectives: To investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected service utilization in HHC and what (management) lessons were learned for the future of HHC.
Design and methods: Four semi-structured focus-group interviews took place. We invited representatives from four large home care providers in the Netherlands i.e. 1) board members and/or directors (strategic level); 2) managers and/or policy officers (tactic level); 3) community nurses (operational level); and 4) members of the client council (client level). Focus-groups were transcribed and coded by three researchers.
Results: Care provision in HHC was reduced, especially during the first wave of the pandemic and mostly for clients with less complex care needs. This reduction was caused by among others decreases in referrals to HHC from the hospital and GP’s, fear of clients for contamination with COVID-19, the urge for community nurses to work more efficiently, and the increased availability of informal caregivers. Decisions for management of the pandemic during the first wave most often were made top-down and within a short timeframe.
Conclusions: Close regional collaborations and (earlier) preparation and testing of crisis management policies are of great importance to realize sustainable continuation of HHC during pandemics. Critical evaluations of the efficiency of HHC were stimulated by how the pandemic was managed.
Conflict of interest statement: All authors declare to have no conflict of interest.
