Evaluation of home health services provided to children in Batman province

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the home health services provided to children in Batman, a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkiye, where the birth rate and consanguineous marriages are high. Methods: For this descriptive and cross-sectional study, data from 460 patients aged 0-18 years who received services from the Home Health Unit of Batman Training and Research Hospital between January 10, 2018, and January 10, 2023, were retrospectively scanned through the Hospital Information Management System. Results: 57.6% of the patients were male and 42.4% were female. The mean age of the patients was 10.64±4.5 years; the proportion of patients aged 0-6 years was 20%, 7-12 years was 41.1%, and 13-18 years was 38.9%. Mental retardation was observed in 15%, cerebral palsy in 42.8%, hydrocephalus in 7.8%, epilepsy in 17%, spina bifida/meningocele/meningomyelocele in 4.1%, neuromuscular and motor disorders (paresis/plegia, etc.) in 10.4%, and osteogenesis imperfecta in 3%. While 99.6% of reasons for physician visits were non-emergency, the most common reason for visits by non-physician health personnel was dressing and monitoring of fever, pulse, and blood pressure, at 94.8%. The proportion of patients in need of nursing services was 98.7%; the proportion of patients with pressure sore signs was 87.8%; and the proportion of fully dependent patients was 93.9%. Conclusion: To provide home health services more effectively and efficiently, it is necessary to increase social awareness, improve health literacy to eliminate regional differences, and expand telehealth applications. For better quality service delivery, it is of vital importance to provide periodic training to those engaged in patient care, especially on managing bed sores. In this way, home health services for children can become more accessible and effective.