The study by Mader et al (2008) focused on analyzing the provision of healthcare services for the elderly in-home settings. Such options were evaluated as an alternative for hospital care, justified by such factors as reducing complications, increased satisfaction, and reduced costs. The article focused on the practical implementation of such an option, transitioning from research setting to a non-research clinical care model. The implementation focused on several aspects including eliminating the age limit, the diagnosis criteria, the physicians’ qualifications criteria, and others. The results showed significant benefits of the real implementation of the program.
The main benefit can be seen in that the patients, regardless of their age are more willing to stay at home than in a hospital setting to receive care. Thus, such factors might indicate better satisfaction of the patient and the caregiver, as well as less stress. Accordingly, there were several benefits for the health system as well including the reduction of pressure on hospitals, as a result of early discharge. The article generally, concluded that despite a few limitations, Hospital at Home (HaH) “for selected patients with selected acute medical conditions is a safe and efficacious model of care” (Mader et al., 2008, p. 2321).
Analyzing the article, it can be stated that the main idea of providing healthcare service in home settings is beneficial in many aspects. Generally, it is agreed that most people prefer to receive care in settings familiar to them. The latter is specifically important to those with cases of chronic diseases. In that regard, feeling comfortable in a familiar setting is a factor in itself significant to reducing overall anxiety and stress for elderly patients.
The idea of preventive care is especially important, as it might help to increase the efficiency of service delivery, although it might require additional research to clarify the costs differences; according to the study, there were no significant differences found. As for the study In Mader et al (2008), the limitations in the study might prevent the generalization of the described case to other settings. Accordingly, the absence of age limitations might imply a vast span in the age of the patients. Generally, it can be concluded that home care is a beneficial service, whether on-demand or as a preventive measure, especially for the elderly.
References
Mader, S. L., Medcraft, M. C., Joseph, C., Jenkins, K. L., Benton, N., Chapman, K.,… Schutzer, W. (2008). Program at Home: A Veterans Affairs Healthcare Program to Deliver Hospital Care in the Home. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56(12), 2317-2322. Web.