The Professional Nurse
- The registered nurse is the home health team leader.
- Conducts the initial visit to perform a thorough assessment of the client’s overall physical state, medication regimen, medical history, home environment, and support system.
- Develops a comprehensive plan of care to address the client’s health needs and ensure the best possible outcome. The process for developing the plan of care includes:
- • Coordination with the physician and other providers to verify orders for care
- • Medication reconciliation to ensure safety and compliance with regimen
- • Coordination with other agency providers (therapists, social work)
- • Involving the client and family in the overall process to ensure that the care is delivered with consideration of the client’s support system and their everyday home life.
- Responsible for coordinating care in the home and ensures that the plan of care is followed.
- Regularly confers with staff and physicians involved in the care to evaluate the effectiveness of the care and appropriately respond to changes in the client’s status, medical regimen, or home situation.
Duties performed by nurses include:
- • Performing complete physical assessments
- • Checking vital signs
- • Administering medications (injections, IV infusions)
- • Monitoring “high-risk” medications such as anticoagulants (warfarin, Coumadin), hypoglycemics (oral diabetic medications, insulin), high dose narcotics, chemotherapeutic home infusions, first dose home antibiotic infusions, and others.
- • Teaching of disease management, medication regimen, proper nutrition, and home safety to facilitate independence in the home.
- • Providing wound care and teaching of care and infection prevention.
- • Pain assessment and finding effective ways to alleviate pain.
The nurse is there for the client and family…
- … to facilitate a smooth transition from the hospital to the home.
- … to make sure that the client is safe at home and that resources are close at hand.
- … to prevent setbacks in the client’s health through good nursing practice
- … to prevent rehospitalization through early detection and good communication with everyone involved in the care.
- … to be an advocate by ensuring that good care is provided and by listening to and addressing concerns of the client and family.
Please call us at 708-529-2000, email us at wellness@clienthhc.com, or use our online form to send us a message if you would like more information about how to avail of our skilled nursing services.
