Trying to decide if you’ll receive better nursing care in the hospital versus your own home? Nursing care in the home health care field is similar to nursing care that takes place in a facility such as a hospital or nursing home.

Home health care nursing can include nearly every service that is performed in a hospital or nursing facility. Whether the patient is recovering or struggling from an illness, accident or the effects of aging, nurses in the home health care field provide care to the patient in the comfort of their own home.

Home Care Nursing Services

Some of the most common services a nurse can provide in the home include:

• Medication Setups: The nurse sets medications into a daily planner, and can also reorder medications, check for potential drug interactions and contact the physician with concerns.
• Foot Care: Diabetic patients often have complications when it comes to foot care (nail trimming). Therefore, only a nurse should perform this service.
• Infusions: The nurse administers fluids, medication or blood products through injections into the patients’ veins or by maintaining arterial catheters. They also are responsible for monitoring patients, maintaining their tubing and bandages, and recognizing potential drug interactions and complications.
• Wound Care: For advanced wounds, a nurse will care for the wound including changing the bandages, tracking the progress of the wound and communicating with the patients’ physician.
• Tracheostomy Care: The nurse will provide suctioning, changing and daily care for the tracheostomy.

Patients are increasingly deciding to receive their care in the comfort of their own home. Studies have shown that patients heal faster at home because they are in more comfortable and familiar surroundings.