Abstract
Background: The number of people with dementia and the demand for long-term care provided in person's home environment is increasing. The aim of such care is to enable the person to stay at home as long as possible and to prevent hospitalization or other institutional care.
When providing care in the home environment it is necessary to focus on patient's needs and experiences. The aim of this presentation is to provide our findings on quality of care of home dwelling people from the perception of professional carers.
This study was funded by the Grant Agency of Charles University, project n. 760219 (Met and unmet needs of vulnerable older patients receiving healthcare at home and in hospital). Methodology: A total of 3 focus groups with home health care nurses and 9 face to face semi-structures interviews with social care workers were conducted.
An exploratory-descriptive qualitative approach was chosen. During data collection, the researchers focused on the areas of "what" and "why".
Data were analysed in the means of content analysis. To ensure the trustworthiness of this study, the recommendation of Graneheim, Lindgren and Lundman (2017) was followed.
Results: According to content analysis three main areas were identified. 1) Needs assessment method; 2) Settings for a care plane; 3) Communication with other carers including professionals. The starting point for ensuring all three areas is 1) to targeted education of (not only) caring professionals and 2) following the principles of case management.
Discussion: Professional caregivers are aware of the need to provide patients in home care of the best possible quality. These caregivers consider as important to identify the needs of their patients and to tailor care to those needs.
The key is therefore undoubtedly the setting of individualized and person-centred care. High-quality communication between caring professionals and mutual information sharing is essential.