Safety in the Home Healthcare Sector: A Pilot Study

描述（由申请人提供）：我们提出了一个为期一年的试点研究，以开发和测试一种新的家庭安全调查工具，用于家庭医疗保健设置。一个简单易用的家庭安全调查工具可以为确定危险提供依据，这一信息可以指导制定有针对性的减少风险干预措施。虽然家庭护理环境中的不安全条件有可能对病人护理的提供和质量以及病人和家庭保健工作者的健康和安全产生不利影响，但关于这一问题的数据非常稀少。目前有近800万患者参加了正规的家庭护理，预计到2014年将增长47%，潜在面临家庭相关危害风险的患者人数很大，而且正在迅速增长。大多数家庭护理患者是老年人（70%为65岁或以上），并且越来越多地患有多种诊断。我们最近的职业健康危害研究的数据，涉及超过1500个家庭护理准专业人员和700个家庭护理注册护士在纽约州表明某些家庭相关的危害的高患病率。这些危险中有许多对患者和家庭护理人员都有相当大的伤害或疾病风险。这项研究是研究小组、纽约探访护士服务和1199 SEIU的合作成果，将在前线工作人员的积极参与下进行。在参与式行动研究框架的指导下，家庭医疗保健助理将帮助开发和现场测试安全调查工具。拟议的研究将作为减少家庭护理部门与家庭危险有关的伤害和疾病风险的重要的第一步。该应用程序建立在主要研究者当前研究轨迹的基础上，并扩展了该研究轨迹。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a one year pilot study to develop and test a novel household safety survey tool for use in the home healthcare setting. A simple-to-use household safety survey tool can provide the basis for hazard identification and this information can serve to guide the development of targeted risk reduction interventions. Although unsafe conditions in the home care setting have the potential to adversely affect the delivery and quality of patient care, as well as the health and safety of patients and home health care workers, data on this issue are exceptionally sparse. With almost eight million patients currently enrolled in formal home care and an anticipated 47% growth by 2014, the patient population potentially at risk from household-related hazards is large and rapidly growing. Most home care patients are elderly (70% are 65 years of age or older) and increasingly have multiple diagnoses. Data from our recent occupational health hazards study involving over 1500 home care paraprofessionals and 700 home care registered nurses in New York State indicate high prevalence rates of certain household-related hazards. Many of these hazards present considerable risk of injury or illness to both patients and home care workers. This study, which represents a collaborative effort between the research team, Visiting Nurse Service of New York and 1199SEIU, will be conducted with the active participation of frontline workers. Guided by a participatory action research framework, home healthcare aides will help to develop and field test the safety survey tool. The proposed study will serve as an important first step in reducing the risk of injury and illness related to household hazards in the homecare sector. This application and builds upon and extends the current research trajectory of the Principal Investigator.