Marja-Leena Perälä

Home-care clients’ need for help, and use and costs of services

The aims of the study were to describe (1) the need for help as well as the use and costs of services of home help and/or home nursing (home care) and (2) to identify the variables associated with the use and costs of health and social care services. A total of 721 Finnish home-care clients were interviewed in 2001. The need for help was assessed by basic and instrumental activities of daily Living (ADL) and in terms of pain and illness, rest and sleep, psychosocial well-being and social and environment variables. The Anderson–Newman model was used to study predictors of use of services, including visits of home-care personnel and visits to the doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, laboratory and hospital. Weekly costs of services were calculated. Data were analyzed using multivariate analyses. The clients had poor functional ability and they needed help at least once a week with, on average, 6 out of 15 ADL functions, and 5 out of 13 items relating to pain and illnesses, rest and sleep, psychosocial well-being and social and environment items. The enabling and need variables, particularly the variables “living alone” and “perceived need for help”, were important predictors for the use of services. Social care constituted more than half of the average weekly costs of municipalities. The perceived need for help with basic ADL was associated with higher costs. To ensure the quality of life among home-care clients while keeping costs reasonable is a challenge for municipalities.

Self‐reported competence of home nursing staff in Finland

AIM This paper is a report of a study to investigate the self-reported competence of home nursing staff and whether this is associated with their education, job descriptions, access to help and support and with factors in their psychosocial work environment, such as opportunities for personal growth and development at work. BACKGROUND Home nursing staff face increasing demands on their competence. Advances in information technology and working methods have increased the need for education. Thus, information on the factors associated with the competence of home nursing staff help us to support them in a way that improves the quality of care. METHOD The data were gathered via a questionnaire completed in 2003 by the home nursing staff of 24 municipalities in different regions of Finland. A total of 2366 home care staff (response rate 63%), of whom 790 were home nursing staff (response rate 65%), were sent questionnaires. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used as main statistical methods. FINDINGS The best predictors for self-reported competence of home nursing staff were their reading scientific or professional journals, opportunities for skill development, decision-making latitude and work demands. CONCLUSION Simple and practical ways for updating the competence of home nursing staff should be created. These staff are a very important source of information for home care clients. Supporting the knowledge of home nursing staff is also an efficient way of keeping clients and their informal caregivers informed about care guidelines, health and social services and social benefits.

Participation of expectant mothers in decision making in maternity care: results of a population‐based survey

The purpose of the study was to acquire knowledge of the opportunities that expectant mothers had to participate in decision making regarding their care in maternity clinics during their last pregnancy. The study is a part of a larger national survey ‘Family planning services in Finland’ carried out by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. The rationale for the study were the known benefits of participation in one’s care and its emphasis in health policy documents. The subjects were a random sample of women aged between 18 and 44. The response rate was 73% (n=1289). The data were gathered by a mailed questionnaire and analysed statistically. According to the results mothers had fairly good opportunities to participate in decision making. However, there were statistically significant differences in opportunities between the women. The mothers who were most satisfied were aged 25–29 years, lived in a permanent relationship, had 12 years of basic education and had three children. Opportunities to participate in care have improved from the 1970s to the 1990s. The results have many implications for the development of nursing practice in maternity clinics and the deepening of the knowledge base in nursing education. The study, being the first national survey on this topic, also gives suggestions for further studies.

The cost-effectiveness of integrated home care and discharge practice for home care patients

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of integrated home care and discharge practice (IHCaD-practice) on the use of services and cost-effectiveness. METHODS A cluster randomised trial with Finnish municipalities (n=22) as the units of randomisation. At baseline the sample included 668 home care patients aged 65 years or over. Data consisted of interviews (discharge, 3-week, 6-month) and care registers. The intervention was a generic prototype of care/case management-practice that was tailored to each municipalitys needs. The effects were evaluated in terms of the use and cost of health and social care services. Unit costs of services were calculated. Cost-effectiveness was calculated for changes in health-related quality of life using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the EQ-5D instruments. All analyses were based on intention-to-treat. RESULTS At 6-month follow-ups, the patients in the trail group used less home care, doctor and laboratory services than patients in the non-trial group. Similar differences between groups were found regarding costs. According to the NHP instrument, the IHCaD-practice showed higher cost-effectiveness compared to the old practice. No evidence for cost-effectiveness was found with the EQ-5D instrument. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that the IHCaD-practice may be a cost-effective alternative to usual care.

Quality of care reported by proxies – Does resident cognition count?

Resident self-reports are considered the primary source of quality of care information, but proxy reports by family or staff can also be used to supplement or substitute resident reports. This study analyses how the results of proxy reports vary according to residents’ cognition level. The data set used covers proxy reports of family (n = 558) and staff (n = 801), divided by the availability of resident self-reports (family yes n = 289, no n = 269; staff yes 393, no = 408). Family and staff proxies assessed residents’ quality of care as better when resident self-reports were also available, and quality of care tended to be assessed as poorer among those with higher cognitive decline. The results of this methodological study indicate the importance of using several proxy evaluations; however, these can only supplement resident self-reports, not replace them. The interpretation rules acknowledging dependency between residents’ cognition and proxy assessments could be used as a basis for future comparisons of quality improvement in long-term care and for painting a more comprehensive picture of service quality.

Determinants of maternal and paternal empowerment: exploring the role of childhood adversities

Background: Childhood adversities are known to increase the life-long risk of negative life events and health problems. Less is known about how childhood conditions affect parental empowerment, which is crucial to family well-being and resources. This study aimed to find out how parents’ own childhood adversities predict maternal and paternal empowerment, and how these predictors differ between mothers and fathers. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional. The sample consisted of mothers (n = 571) and fathers (n = 384) of children aged 0–9 years in Finland. Parents were selected using stratified random sampling in 2009. Parental empowerment was measured by the Generic Family Empowerment Scale. Eleven types of childhood adversity were inquired about. Associations were examined by linear regression analysis, and empowerment was predicted by multiple linear regression. Results: Childhood adversities had a negative effect on parental empowerment. The effect was more significant on maternal than paternal empowerment. Adversities were particularly associated with parents’ confidence in managing their children in everyday life. Parental empowerment of both mothers and fathers was affected significantly by their parents’ mental health problems and serious conflicts within their families during childhood. Financial difficulties, parents’ unemployment and bullying at school affected maternal empowerment. Conclusions: Early recognition of adversities and appropriate intervention may help to increase present and future well-being and prevent long-term difficulties of each family member.