Advancing the agenda for home healthcare quality: conference proceedings and findings.

On March 31 to April 1, 2005, the Center for Home Care Policy and Research of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York assembled approximately 80 home healthcare stakeholders from across the country to advance the action strategy for measuring, improving, and assuring quality in home healthcare. A specific aim of the conference was to disseminate relevant research on organizational change and evidence-based practices to influence patient safety and quality of care. Attendees worked together to identify high-priority action steps and recommendations at both the organizational and policy levels.

Examining "operational failures" to reduce home care errors.

The majority of health care errors that impact patient safety can be linked not to caregivers' lack of skills or knowledge, but to faulty work design (Perrow 1984; Reason 1990). Yet little is known about operational failures in home health care that lead to adverse events. This article summarizes the findings of a recent case study (Tucker 2004) that identifies 23 operational failures that took place during seven home care visits over the course of one day.

Charting the course for home health care quality: action steps for achieving sustainable improvement: conference proceedings.

On June 30 and July 1, 2003, the first national meeting Charting the Course for Home Health Care Quality: Action Steps for Achieving Sustainable Improvement convened in New York City. The Center for Home Care Policy & Research of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) hosted the meeting with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Fifty-seven attendees from throughout the United States participated.

The importance of screening for depression in home care patients.

The home care population is especially vulnerable to depression, yet a recent study showed that home care nurses are not well equipped to identify the signs and symptoms of depression (Brown et al., 2003). Probable causes include lack of training and support for home care nurses combined with passivity and embarrassment about depression among elderly patients.