Sharps Injuries and Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures in Home Health Care

Home health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Approximately 20,000 provider agencies deliver home health care services to 7.6 million individuals with acute illness, long-term health conditions, permanent disability, or terminal illness. The home health care setting poses many challenges that likely increase the risk of sharps injuries. Home health nurses face unique challenges in preventing and reporting sharps injuries in the home. This article examines the nature of and risk factors for sharps injuries in the home health care setting, the scope of the problem, the legislative and regulatory framework relevant to sharps injuries, and the role of occupational health nurses in promoting a culture of safety to prevent sharps injuries and bloodborne pathogen exposures.

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Sharps Injuries and Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures in Home Health Care

AAOHN Journal ◽

10.1177/216507990805600103 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 15-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephanie M. Chalupka ◽

Pia Markkanen ◽

Catherine Galligan ◽

Margaret Quinn

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Home Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Care Setting ◽

The United States ◽

Home Health ◽

Health Care Setting ◽

Permanent Disability ◽

Bloodborne Pathogen ◽

Sharps Injuries

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Sharps Injuries in the Home Health Care Setting

AAOHN Journal ◽

10.1177/216507990405200306 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 102-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Donna Haiduven ◽

Shalah Ferrol

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Home Health Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Home Health ◽

Health Care Setting ◽

Sharps Injuries

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Timing of Home Health Care Initiation and 30-Day Rehospitalizations among Medicare Beneficiaries with Diabetes by Race and Ethnicity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18115623 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 5623

Author(s):

Jamie M. Smith ◽

Haiqun Lin ◽

Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins ◽

Jennifer Tsui ◽

Olga F. Jarrín

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Home Health Care ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Propensity Scores ◽

The United States ◽

Home Health ◽

Medicare Beneficiaries ◽

Timely Initiation ◽

Care Services

Older adults with diabetes are at elevated risk of complications following hospitalization. Home health care services mitigate the risk of adverse events and facilitate a safe transition home. In the United States, when home health care services are prescribed, federal guidelines require they begin within two days of hospital discharge. This study examined the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalization outcomes in a cohort of 786,734 Medicare beneficiaries following a diabetes-related index hospitalization admission during 2015. Of these patients, 26.6% were discharged to home health care. To evaluate the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalizations, multivariate logistic regression models including patient demographics, clinical and geographic variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic variables were used. Inverse probability-weighted propensity scores were incorporated into the analysis to account for potential confounding between the timing of home health care initiation and the outcome in the cohort. Compared to the patients who received home health care within the recommended first two days, the patients who received delayed services (3–7 days after discharge) had higher odds of rehospitalization (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.25–1.32). Among the patients who received late services (8–14 days after discharge), the odds of rehospitalization were four times greater than among the patients receiving services within two days (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 3.97–4.28). Timely initiation of home health care following diabetes-related hospitalizations is one strategy to improve outcomes.

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