BSS6B Reflective approach to home based care

Contents and structure

Patients in home care are in a heterogeneous group of people. The group`s common feature is that all patients have functional status sufficient to live in their own home supplied with home care services. The Coordination Reform (White Paper 47), requests changes to home care services, as the health care services primarily should be conducted in the municipalities and patients should be discharged earlier from hospital to home care services. The purpose of home care services is to improve the functioning of patients, prevent health problems, and contribute to a dignified life in the home. A clear intention (white paper 47) is that patients with far advanced diseases, and short life expectancy shall be able to stay longer time at home, and if they desire, be able to die at home. In Norway less than 15% of patients die in their own homes.

Professional nursing care in home care service requires a high degree of autonomy and collaboration with patients, their families, the general practitioner and additional inter-professional cooperation.

Emphasis is placed on the nurses functions in the following areas of expertise:

• health promotion and preventive care
• care and treatment
• education and counseling
• professional ethical attitude and action
• development, quality assurance and research
• organization, management, policy and legislation

Students work with the concepts: nursing, self-care, user, patient, basic needs, suffering, coping and hope, market driven versus public financed home care services. The concepts are discussed in context of the central description of objectives in the policy documents for home care services. Ethical dilemmas related to autonomy, paternalism and coercion are also part of the content.

Other areas in professional nursing are palliative care, care at the end of life, family, cognitive impairment, and pain management for dementia, diabetes care, nutrition, care technology, documentation tools and the nurse as a professional in patients` homes.

Learning Outcome

A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes

defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:
The student...

• can describe the importance of the nurse`s areas of responsibility and functions in home care services
• is familiar with national and international research and development in the field

Skills:
The student...

• can assesses the service needs from the patients and caregivers understanding of their situation
• can apply professional judgment in performing assigned tasks and assess the ushers needs for help

General competence:
The student...

• can communicate the patients' legal rights in home care and reflect on competition in nursing and care services
• can reflect on nursing and home care services professional and political premises and the relationship with responsible professional practice
• is familiar with the possibilities and limitations of the documentation system
• has insight into communication, professional development and innovation

Entry requirements

Admission to bachelor in Nursing at HVL and incoming exchange students from partner institutions.
Prerequisites
To be accepted as an exchange student for this course students must have passed their 2nd academic year.

Teaching methods

Lectures with student active learning methods, simulation training, excursion to the care technology lab, and study groups.

Compulsory learning activities

Mandatory assignments:

Participation in simulation training, excursion, and study groups are mandatory.

Absence in excess of 20% disqualifies the candidate for exam

The mandatory work requirements must be approved before the student can pass the course.

Assessment

Written or oral exam

Grading scale

The grading scale used is:

A to F. Grade A is the highest passing grade in the grading scale, grade F is a fail.

Examination support material

None

More about examination support material