Abstract

CEREZER, Lidiane Glaciel et al. Assessment of the functional capacity of patients in home health care. Salud(i)ciencia [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.6, pp.525-531. ISSN 1667-8682.

Abstract Introduction: Home care provides an interdisciplinary approach to health and ensures the continuity of care after discharge. Objective: To evaluate the functional capacity of patients seen in a home care service. Material and methods: A quasi-experiment carried out before and after the implementation of an interdisciplinary care plan. The variables analyzed were gender, age, home care time, functional capacity, and care plan implemented. A functional capacity assessment was conducted on admission and discharge of care, measured on the Katz scale. For this comparison, the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples was applied. Results: The study included 150 predominantly male patients with an average age of 65.81 years admitted to home care service in the period from 01/09/2011 to 31/08/2013. The length of stay was 47.98 days. Patients were categorized into four care plans: prevention, recovery, support, and palliative care. In the recovery plan there was significant improvement. In the support and palliative plans there was no change, however it was observed that the patients remained clinically stable. Conclusion: The actions and interventions provided improvement in patients in the recovery plan and maintained the level of dependence of patients in the support and palliative plans, minimizing the factors that interfere with functional capacity. The individual care plan in home care assists in the organization of care and guides the practices developed by the team.

Keywords : chronic disease; home care services; hospital services; patient care team; rehabilitation.

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