Perceived Risk and Hazards Associated With Home Health Care Among Home Health Nurses of India

Abstract

The objective of this study is to categorize the home health nursing care activities and hazards applicable to Indian settings, into high, medium, and low priority levels with the help of risk assessment table and risk matrix. The research design is exploratory and the study is cross-sectional, A self-administered questionnaire is prepared for Indian settings based on the literature review; the content validity and the internal consistency were ensured; the mean scores and the frequencies for the activities were calculated. The severity scores for the identified 14 perceived high-risk activities were assigned with the help of the brainstorming session. The hazard of slippery floors and exposure to blood fell into high priority area (denoted by red area) with high severity and high occurrence score, similarly overloaded and unsafe electrical outlets, rushing with clients, time pressure for reaching the client’s home, and contact with chemicals fell into medium priority category (denoted by yellow area). Finally, hazards such as uncontrolled pets and verbal abuse from patients fell into low priority levels. The providers should take measures for hazards such as slippery floors, overloaded and unsafe electrical outlets, rushing with clients, time pressure for reaching the client’s home, exposure to blood, and contact with chemicals, as these hazards fell into high-medium severity rating with high-medium probability.