What Does a Home Health Nurse Do?

Home health nurses are charged with carrying out the orders of a Doctor in a patients home. Their role is to help ensure patient recovery in the home when a patient is home bound. Patients receive exceptional care in the home, but should not substitute home health for regular, necessary Doctor's visits. In fact, Medicare requires a visit about every six months to continue home health care.
Doctors can order a home health nurse to treat many conditions and their symptoms, but these are a few of the most common:

Urinary Tract Infection • Arthritis • Diabetes • Cancer • Wound Care

 Lymphedema • Post-surgical Care • Osteoporosis • MRSA Infections
 Osteomyelitis • Cellulitis • Pneumonia • Endocarditis • Bacteremia • Fever of Unknown Origin

Fungal Infection • Thyroid Dysfunction • Refractory Osteoporosis

 Pituitary Dysfunction and Tumors • Diabetes • Adrenal Dysfunction and Tumors

Hypertension • Heart Failure • Atrial Fibrillation • COPD

 Cholesterol Management • Multiple Falls

To treat these, and other, medical issues a home health nurse can do many of the things that a nurse in a doctors office can do, with the exception of highly specialized treatments requiring  large equipment. These are a few examples of what home health nurses can do in a patent's home:

• Skilled assessment, evaluation and observation of:
• The signs and symptoms of complications and infections
• Response to medication and treatments
• Physical, mental & environmental limitations
• Lab draws 
• Catheter insertion & care
• Dressing changes and wound care
• Medication management
• Management of implanted pumps, ports and central lines
• Ostomy care
• Patient & family teaching for:
• Disease process & care management
• Risk Factor Reduction
• Diet & bowel regimen
• Infection control
• Medication administration & side effects
• Emergency procedures
• Skin care
• Bladder care
• Pain management

A Doctor can order additional skilled clinicians, like physical or occupational therapists, to compliment the care of a nurse and ensure that patients recover quickly and safely at home. Seniors benefit from hands-on, in-home care that enables them to follow their physician’s plan of care with the goal of full recovery in mind. 

If you have any questions about what else a home health nurse can do, go to http://www.millcreekhomehealth.com/ and contact us with your questions.