Which need characteristics influence healthcare service utilization in home care arrangements in Germany?

BACKGROUND: We see a growing number of older adults receiving long-term care in industrialized countries. The Healthcare Utilization Model by Andersen suggests that individual need characteristics influence utilization. The purpose of this study is to analyze correlations between need characteristics and service utilization in home care arrangements. METHODS: 1,152 respondents answered the questionnaire regarding their integration of services in their current and future care arrangements. Care recipients with high long-term care needs answered the questionnaire on their own, the family caregiver assisted the care recipient in answering the questions, or the family caregiver responded to the questionnaire on behalf of the care recipient. They were asked to rank specific needs according to their situation. We used descriptive statistics and regression analysis. RESULTS: Respondents are widely informed about services. Nursing services and counseling are the most used services. Short-term care and guidance and training have a high potential for future use. Day care, self-help groups, and mobile services were the most frequently rejected services in our survey. Women use more services than men and with rising age utilization increases. Long waiting times and bad health of the primary caregiver increases the chance of integrating services into the home care arrangements. CONCLUSION: The primary family caregiver has a high impact on service utilization. This indicates that the whole family should be approached when offering services. Professionals should react upon the specific needs of care dependents and their families.

[Family Health Nursing - a challenge for education and training? Results of an European project]. / Family Health Nursing - eine Herausforderung für Aus- und Weiterbildung? Ergebnisse eines europäischen Projektes.

BACKGROUND: Since the WHO study "Family Health Nursing" (FHN) the concepts have been established different within Europe. Due to this, the international project "Family Health Nursing in European Communities" was started in order to develop a standardised educational concept. AIMS: The aim of this project was to gather the different requirements and to clarify problematic issues within the participating EU countries. METHOD: Thus, a literature review, a Delphi study in order to achieve consensus on definition of FHN, an analysis of competencies and requirements as well as an overview of available education/training with experts from the field of care was carried out. RESULTS: The results of the review reflect the varying level of occupation within the countries included in this analysis. Over the time, various conceptual orientations and professional designations have been established. Within this project the preferred job title was "Family Nurse" (46,3 %). Health promotion and prevention (85,8 %) were seen as main tasks of the Family Health Nurse. Therefore, the respondent experts state the need for more specialized training at an undergraduate (81,5 %) level. CONCLUSIONS: The project outlines the countries' effort towards a high-level in familial care which could be supported in long term by a consistent FHN concept.