Complex Care Clients
Research Priority: Optimising Health and Wellbeing
Researers: Elizabeth Robinson, Liz Cyarto, Rajna Ogrin, Judy Lowthian
Study population: Home and Community Support clients receiving complex care
Governments around the world are encouraging more healthcare to be provided in the home. Complex care is typically viewed from a biomedical perspective, focusing on the medical and nursing care required for chronic disease management. However, people receiving complex care often find they fall short in other areas of their life, for example they may feel less independent or lack social contact. It is important to look at the individual’s overall health and wellbeing which includes addressing medical issues.
It can be expected that the number of people receiving complex care at home instead of in hospital will increase and healthcare providers should strive for this care to be holistic, rather than purely biomedical. To achieve this, home care providers need insights into the population of people receiving complex care, which are currently lacking in the literature.
The aim of this project is to profile clients receiving complex care at home (defined as those being visited by a Clinical Nurse Consultant within our Home and Community Support service) and provide a description of the care they are receiving using their service records. Further, this project includes a 12-month survey of clients’ quality of life. This will demonstrate how the care clients receive at home addresses their holistic needs. This project will offer providers of home support healthcare services with information on who is receiving complex care at home, what this care looks like, and how this care addresses an individual’s holistic needs.
Peer-reviewed publication
