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 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*

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: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of antioxidant vitamins and magnesium supplementation on fasting blood glucose and lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This study is a unequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Seventy-one subjects with type 2 diabetes who were recruited from home visiting clients of a public health center, completed the trial. The experimental group entered a 12-week treatment period with antioxidant vitamins and magnesium and the control group with no antioxidant vitamins and magnesium. RESULTS: Serum level of fasting blood glucose decreased from 134.7 mg/dl to 125.0 mg/dl and total-cholesterol decreased from 215.5 mg/dl to 198.2 mg/dl in the experimental group. No changes in fasting blood glucose and total-cholesterol were demonstrated in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A short-term supplementation with antioxidant vitamins and magnesium can reduce fasting blood glucose and total-cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes. The continuous effect of this supplementation and the beneficial effect on the prevention of diabetes complication still needs to be demonstrated.
Antioxidants ; Blood Glucose* ; Diabetes Complications ; Fasting* ; House Calls ; Humans ; Magnesium* ; Public Health ; Vitamins* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research is to identify factors affecting suicidal ideation of the low-income elderly. METHODS: The study subjects were lowest-income(basic living allowance) and lower-income elders who were registered for home visiting services at five District Health Centers in Seoul. Interview data were collected from 280 elders and analyzed. Using SPSS/WIN 21, chi2-test and t-test were conducted to analyze the relationship between the subjects' characteristics and their suicidal ideation, and logistic regression was done to identify factors affecting suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Of the subjects, 48.6% had suicidal ideation for the last one year. Self-evaluated psychological status, quality of sleep, depression, and loneliness were affecting factors to the subjects' suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Psychological and social factors are strongly related to the suicidal ideation of the elderly who are living alone in metropolitan areas. Therefore, home visiting services should supply physical, psychological and social cares continuously to the low-income elderly, especially those who live alone in metropolitan areas.
Aged* ; Depression ; House Calls ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Loneliness ; Seoul ; Suicidal Ideation*