Introduction: Home visits are complex processes for clients and occupational therapists. Despite the benefits of home visits, the numbers of home visits being conducted are decreasing in international settings due to service constraints or client reluctance. Published international studies may not be applicable to Malaysia due to cultural and geodemographic differences relating to the home context. This study aimed to explore the experience of occupational therapists in Malaysia in conducting home visits. Materials and Methods: A focus group discussion was conducted with seven occupational therapists in one teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The group session was audio-recorded, transcribed, summarised and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Themes developed were: i) client factors inhibiting effective service provision, ii) uninformed policies and guidelines, and iii) professional identity and growth. Conclusions: Our study has revealed major challenges for Malaysian occupational therapists with regards to conducting home visits. Future studies should now evaluate factors underlying reluctance to participate in home visits and effective strategies to overcome these difficulties.
House Calls ; Occupational Therapy

OBJECTIVE: The main purposes of this study were to understand the correlations among Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and ESCROW (Environment, Social support, Cluster of family members, Resources, Outlook, Work or School status) Profile, and to establish the more appropriate assessment standards to check patient's conditions in the hospital and in their homes and society. METHOD: Thirty-four patients, who received the rehabilitation treatment and home visiting at the Presbyterian Medical Center, were evaluated for their functions by MBI, FIM, and ESCROW Profile. RESULTS: The mean scores of assessment measures by home visiting were all higher than in the hospital showing an improvement of the patients' functions after discharge from the hospital. The results of MBI and FIM in the hospital and home visiting showed a significant correlation, while the results of MBI and Cognitive FIM measure indicated a relatively low correlation coefficient. Although each result of MBI, FIM, and ESCROW provided a low correlation when the patients were in the hospital, the result for home visiting revealed very significant correlations. Especially, the items of environment, social support, outlook, and work status of ESCROW showed very significant correlations with MBI and FIM. CONCLUSION: The results showed that MBI and FIM measurements were very useful in observing and following up the functional conditions of the patients, while ESCROW profile was more appropriate to evaluate the familial and social rehabilitation status.
House Calls ; Humans ; Protestantism ; Rehabilitation* ; Social Environment

BACKGROUND: Medical students at the International Medical University (IMU), Seremban, Malaysia were required to assess patients at home over a period of two years as a part of their curriculum. The students conducted six visits to educate their patients and help them utilize available resources to manage their disease.

This study aims to examine whether patients with diabetes visited improve their control of their disease, specifically in terms of their HbA1c measurement.

METHODOLOGY: We used a retrospective, matched before and after study design to prevent biased levels of effort by students conducting the home visits over two years. Information was obtained through reports written by IMU students. Convenient sampling was used to select outpatients undergoing treatment 'as usual' from a health clinic and were subsequently matched as controls.

RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the mean HbA1c among 57 patients with diabetes who were CFCS subjects [from 8.4% (68 mmol/mol) to 7.3% (57mmol/mol) p<0.001], while the mean HbA1c levels among 107 matched control subjects rose significantly from 7.9% (63 mmol/mol) to 8.3% (67 mmol/mol) (p=0.019) over a similar period. The two groups were controlled for most biological and socioeconomic variables except for comorbidities, diabetic complications and medication dose changes between groups.

CONCLUSION: Behavioural intervention in the form of home visits conducted by medical students is an effective tool with a dual purpose, first as a student educational initiative, and second as a strategy to improve outcomes for patients with diabetes

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effect of baby massage on attachment between mothers and their newborns. METHODS: This study was carried out from June 2008 to February 2010 in a quasi-experimental design (57 in the experimental group, 60 in the control group). Between the dates of the study, all healthy primipara mothers and their healthy babies were included. Data were collected regarding their demographic characteristics and by using the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). All mothers were assessed on the first and the last days of the 38-day study period. In the experimental group, the babies received a 15-minute massage therapy session everyday during the 38 days. RESULTS: There was no significant difference found in the pretest mean value baseline of the MAI score in both groups. The posttest mean values of the MAI of the experimental group mothers (90.87 +/- 10.76) were significantly higher than those of control group (85.10 +/- 15.50). There was a significant difference between groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results of the study have shown that baby massage is effective in increasing the mothere infant attachment.
Chronology as Topic ; Complementary Therapies ; House Calls ; Humans ; Infant ; Massage ; Mothers

PURPOSE: This study attempted to identify differences in elders' health status, quality of life, and satisfaction with customized home visiting health service depending on connection to volunteerism. METHODS: A total of 400 subjects participated in this research. Data were collected from May to August of 2009 and the measurement tool used for this study was the house visiting health service recording sheet recommended by the Ministry of Health. RESULTS: According to the results of this research on elders' health status in customized home visiting health service depending on connection to volunteerism, elders connected to volunteerism positively showed a high level in functional health status areas such as daily life performance ability, instrumental daily life performance ability and Joint exercise capacity, and in the quality of life area. CONCLUSION: The results of this study can be utilized as complementary information when resources and networks are used for the effective management of house visiting health service subjects.
Health Services* ; House Calls* ; Joints ; Quality of Life* ; Volunteers*

PURPOSE: This study was a survey to provide basic data about nursing interventions for improving the quality of life among family caregivers for the elderly by examining their care burden, burnout, and quality of life, and by confirming the correlation between each of them. METHOD: The subjects were 215 people in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province who understood the purpose of this study and participated voluntarily from April 1 to June 4, 2007. Data was analyzed by the SAS program. RESULT: 1. Concerning primary caregivers of the elderly, it was found that their care burden was slightly high, burnout was high and quality of life was good on the whole. 2. When it comes to the correlation among care burden, burnout, and quality of life among family caregivers, it was found that burnout increases in proportion to care burden, quality of life decreases as care burden increases, and bigger burnout leads to a lower quality of life. CONCLUSION: The quality of life among primary caregivers should be improved by reducing their care burden and burnout. Thereby, a priority might be considered for admission to nearby, comfortable nursing homes or failing that, home visiting services, rather than family support in the home.
Aged ; Caregivers ; House Calls ; Humans ; Nursing Homes ; Phenothiazines ; Quality of Life

The objectives of this study were to identify the determinants of the 1. Home visiting activities by FHWs, 2. Utilization of village Family Health Workers (FHWs) among housewives in, 3. Attitudes towards FHWs the Kang Wha Community, 4. Knowledge about FHW's activities among housewives in the KangWha Community Health Project area. This study was analyzed by using path analysis. Exogenous variables were 1. Distance between the housewives' houses and that of their local FHW, 2. Duration of work each FHW as FHW in her village, 3. Number of preschool children in the households. Endogenous variables were 1. Home visiting frequency to each household by FHW, 2. Knowledge abort FHW's activities, 3. Attitude towards FHWs by the housewives, 4. Utilization of FHW by the housewives. The results were as follows : The shorter the distnace between client's and FHW's house, the higher the number of preschool children in the household, and the longer their duration of work of FHW as FHW, the higher is the number of her household visits in a given time span. The more frequently the FHW visits a household and the higher the knowledge about FHW's activities in the household, the more positive is the attitude of the housewives to the FHW and the more frequently she visits and utilizes the FHW on her own initiative.
Child, Preschool ; Family Characteristics ; Family Health* ; House Calls ; Humans ; Korea*

PURPOSE: This study investigates the social network, self-care agency, and quality of life of high-risk beneficiaries in case management of Medicaid and the correlations between these variables. It also identifies influencing factors on their quality of life. METHODS: The subjects included 187 individuals chosen from the high-risk beneficiaries in case management of Medicaid in D Metropolitan City. Data was collected through direct interviews based on a structured questionnaire on home visits. RESULTS: The perceived health status was the most influential factor in their quality of life, followed by self-care agency, mutual support network, and natural support network in order. These factors explained 40.6% of their quality of life. CONCLUSION: These findings raise a need to develop a nursing intervention program to increase the self-care agency of the high-risk beneficiaries in case management of Medicaid.
Case Management* ; House Calls ; Medicaid* ; Nursing ; Quality of Life* ; Self Care*

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand how diabetics dealt with the result of the various changes of lifestyle. The grounded theory approach of qualitative research methods was used for building a substantive theory about that. The subjects of this study were 10 clients who experienced diabetes from 4 to 30 years. The data was collected from August 1999 to November 1999 through in-depth interviews utilizing home visitation and telephone interview technique then it was and analyzed simultaneously by a constant comparative method in which the new data was continuously coded into categories and properties according to Strauss & Corbin,s methodology. One hundred six concepts were found and they were grouped into 35 categories and then into 14 categories. The results were as follows difficulty, unable to overcome the changes, disposition, disease process, tiredness, supportive environment, perception, handling, concent- ration, mastering, endurance, avoidance, giving up and tailoring. The core phenomenon was 'tiredness' and these categories were synthesized into one core concept, the process of tailoring. The process of tailoring in diabetics consisted of: 1) going through difficulty of disease management 2) experiencing tiredness from the difficulty of disease management 3) perception of disease from tiredness 4) undergoing various self-management 5) controlling the process of tailoring by one's own method. Six hypotheses were derived from the relation of these concepts and four types were from intensity of tiredness, direction of disposition, type of disease process and the level of supportive environment and perception. This study offers better understanding on diabetic experiences and may facilitate more appropriate interventive strategies to provide support, information and knowledge. The nurses should utilize the results to help diabetics enjoy their lives without any trouble and must continuously develop nursing knowledges and skills.
Disease Management ; House Calls ; Interviews as Topic ; Life Style ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Self Care

OBJECTIVES: This paper presents the information on the incidence of cancer from the population-based cancer resistry in Kangwha County. Material and METHODS: This investigation is based on Kangwha cancer registry. The data included cases of cancer diagnosed from 1986 through 1992. The diagnosis of cancer was confirmed by a team of physicians and nurses with the medical records kept in the clinics and hospitals based on the diagnostic criteria recommended by WHO. Home visitings were also made to cancer patients confirmed in every 6 months for the follow up and for the collection of relevant information directly from the patients. RESULTS: A total of 992 cancer cases were registered during 1986 - 1992. The age-adjusted cancer incidence rate of all site is 201.7 in men and 110.7 in women. The most common cancer is the stomach cancer in both sexes. The age-adjusted incidence rate of the stomach cancer is 65.9 in men and 25.0 in women per 100,000 population. The lung cancer(33.8) and liver cancer(27.7) are next common cancers in men. The cervical cancer(21.8) and lung cancer(8.4) are next in women. CONCLUSION: The most common cancer is the stomach cancer in both sexes. The annual age-adjusted incidence rate of the stomach cancer is 65.9 in men and 25.0 in women per 100,000 population.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; House Calls ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Medical Records ; Stomach Neoplasms