Quantifying nursing needs in home health care.

A study was conducted to determine what factors were most predictive of the quantity of nursing service and total agency service required by cardiac and cancer patients in home-care agencies. A retrospective record review on 397 patients in 9 randomly selected Connecticut home-care agencies collected demographic data on referral and payment source, support system, discharge status, primary care provider, and health status, as well as total number of professional and nonprofessional visits and length of stay. The Health Status Score, which measured deficits in daily activities and nursing problems, proved to be the best predictor. The ability of the Health Status Score to predict the need for total agency visits was particularly strong for cancer patients. The agency variable was a significant predictor of resource utilization, especially for cardiac patients. A significant limitation of the study was the inconsistency among the agencies regarding closure of records. Future research into resource use in home care depends on consistent and complete recording practices across agencies.