RAND Corporation, Boston, MA, USA.
RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA, USA.
New Solut. 2021 May;31(1):20-29. doi: 10.1177/1048291120987845. Epub 2021 Jan 15.
Home care aides are on the frontlines providing care to vulnerable individuals in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic yet are often excluded from policies to protect health care workers. The goal of this study was to examine experiences of agency-employed home care aides during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify ways to mitigate concerns. We used an innovative journaling approach with thirty-seven aides as well as in-depth interviews with fifteen aides and leadership representatives from nine home health agencies in New York and Michigan. Workers described a range of concerns around workplace safety including uncertainty around whether a client had COVID-19, inadequate access to personal protective equipment and safe transportation, as well as fundamental changes to interactions with clients. Agencies also faced challenges acquiring personal protective equipment for their aides. This research points to needed resources to support home care aides home health agencies both during a public health crisis and in the future.
家庭保健助手站在抗击新冠疫情的前线，为脆弱人群提供居家护理，但他们往往被排除在保护医护人员的政策之外。本研究旨在探讨在新冠疫情期间机构雇佣的家庭保健助手的经历，并确定减轻这些担忧的方法。我们使用了一种创新的日记记录方法，对 37 名助手进行了研究，同时对来自纽约和密歇根的 9 家家庭健康机构的 15 名助手和领导层代表进行了深入访谈。工作人员描述了一系列对工作场所安全的担忧，包括不确定客户是否感染了新冠病毒、无法获得足够的个人防护设备和安全的交通，以及与客户互动的根本变化。机构也面临着为助手采购个人防护设备的挑战。这项研究指出，在公共卫生危机期间和未来，都需要为家庭保健助手和家庭健康机构提供资源支持。
