The dual approach of the use of a patient/family facing electronic personal health record and support from a certified lay patient navigator has demonstrated an improvement in Patient Activation measures in home health care patients, according to Gail Embt, CEO of Kinergy Health. Lay navigators with certified home care agencies and hospital discharge departments have demonstrated improved patient outcomes in patient satisfaction, improved medication adherence, lower ER usage and lower rehospitalization rates.
In a recent pilot project Kinergy Health conducted at a certified home health agency, the use of this high tech, high touch approach demonstrated increased Patient Activation scores, resulting in improved self-management and fewer rehospitalizations as well as improved patient satisfaction.
Use of navigators has been demonstrated to:
Disease specific interventions with significant findings with Navigators include:
Use of a health navigator in the home health care setting has demonstrated:
As other health care settings such as hospital discharge departments and physician’s offices have begun to implement the use of navigators, it is time for the home care industry to assess the usefulness in the home health setting.
Merrily Evdokimoff, RN,PhD has over 30 years experience in home health, and currently teaches Community Health Nursing at University of Massachusetts-Boston and is a consultant to home care agencies and vendors. She is a nationally recognized speaker on clinician education and patient engagement. She may be reached at merrilyevd@gmail.com or 508-560-3801.
©2016 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan's Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com