Microcomputer applications for home health-care services.

Principles in selecting a microcomputer system for use in a home health-care (HHC) service and potential applications for an HHC microcomputer system are described. To ensure that the quality of care provided to patients at home is comparable with that provided to inpatients, HHC services must be well organized, provide adequate channels of communication among staff members, and maintain complete and accurate records of the selection, training, therapy, evaluation, and follow-up of all home-therapy patients. A well-designed microcomputer system can increase the efficiency and accuracy with which those goals are met. Selection of a system should be based on the needs of a particular HHC service; factors that should be considered include whether the system will be compatible with other hospital computer systems and whether the majority of users will be able to operate the program easily. Potential applications for an HHC microcomputer system include printing labels for home-therapy products, calculating prices and providing billing data, maintaining prescription files, generating reports for drug-use review, and monitoring inventory levels. By employing an organized approach to the selection and implementation of a microcomputer system for a home health-care service, hospital pharmacists can make an important contribution to improving HHC service operations.