The possibilities of home care from the perspective of nurses and the general public

This bachelor thesis is focused on the awareness of nurses and the general public about the services of home health care agencies. The work is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical part includes the issue of home care and the characteristics of the role of nurses in home care. The results obtained in the research investigation are processed and evaluated in the practical part. Four objectives have been chosen for the bachelor thesis which focus on the awareness of nurses and the general public about the possibilities of home care. The research part was divided into four groups. First two groups were focused on nurses, where nurses from inpatient sectors were in the first group of respondents and nurses from outpatient sectors were in the second group. The other two groups were aimed at the general public, with the third group of respondents being the general public and the fourth group being clients currently treated by a home care agency. To meet the objectives, a semi-structured interview was chosen which included eighteen questions for nurses and twelve questions for patients. It is evident from the results focused on the group of nurses, that only nurses who are directly involved in the process, have detailed information about home care options. Furthermore, in the inpatient wards, nurses perceives lack of time and unresolved contractual relations with insurance companies as major barriers in the process of referring clients to home care agencies. From the results aimed at a group of the general public who have never personally encountered the service, awareness is very marginal. In contrast, clients treated by a home care agency have a greater awareness. Submitted thesis provides a better understanding of home care, identifies gaps in awareness among nurses and the general public, highlights the problems encountered during the collaboration between the home care agency and the referring facility