Ethics and Patient Safety in Home Healthcare: Upholding Quality and Standards
Home healthcare has become a vital component of patient-centered care, particularly for aging populations and individuals with chronic illnesses. While it offers significant benefits, including comfort and convenience, it also presents ethical and safety challenges that demand careful considera...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Liaquat National Journal of Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lnh.edu.pk/lnjpc/pdf/20f47556-9ca4-4d71-8a13-79b2d6533b3a.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Home healthcare has become a vital component of
patient-centered care, particularly for aging populations
and individuals with chronic illnesses. While it offers
significant benefits, including comfort and convenience,
it also presents ethical and safety challenges that
demand careful consideration. Ensuring ethical integrity
and robust patient safety measures is essential to
maintaining high-quality home healthcare services.
Three core ethical principles guide home healthcare:
autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
Autonomy requires that patients have the right to
make informed decisions about their care. However,
challenges arise when dealing with cognitively impaired
patients, necessitating careful ethical considerations [1].
Beneficence and non-maleficence obligate caregivers to
act in the best interests of the patient while minimizing
potential harm [2]. For example, a caregiver managing
a dementia patient may struggle to balance respect for
independence with ensuring safety.
Unlike hospital settings, home environments are not
always equipped for clinical care, increasing risks such
as falls, medication errors, and infections [3]. A 2020
study by Vincent et al. highlighted that medication
mismanagement accounts for nearly 30% of adverse
home healthcare events [4]. Implementing practical
safety measures, such as clear medication instructions,
installing handrails, and training family caregivers, is
crucial [5].
Consider the case of an elderly stroke survivor
receiving home care. The patient’s family insists
on continuing aggressive treatment, but the patient
expresses a preference for comfort care. Ethical
principles dictate that the patient’s autonomy should be
respected, yet balancing family concerns and medical
recommendations presents a dilemma [6]. In such
cases, ethical committees and advanced care planning
discussions can help resolve conflicts [7].
Quality Assessment and Practical Tools:
To ensure patient safety, structured methodologies
should be implemented. These include:
• Home Risk Assessments: Evaluating environmental
hazards and making necessary modifications [8].
• Caregiver Training Programs: Educating on infection
prevention, emergency response, and ethical care
[9].
• Accreditation and Compliance Checks: Regular
audits to maintain ethical and safety standards [10].
Ethical decision-making and patient safety are
paramount in home healthcare. By integrating ethical
principles, implementing risk management strategies,
and employing quality assessment tools, home
healthcare providers can ensure high standards of care.
Enhancing communication and family engagement
further strengthens the ethical foundation, leading to
better patient outcomes |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2707-3521 2708-9134 |