Colleagues in Caring: Home Health Task Force
Home Health Competencies
Go to Curriculum Course Objectives developed for these competencies.
Communication/Collaboration:
- Communication/collaboration with physicians
- Patient education
- Working with interdisciplinary team
- Working with third party payors
- Planning frequency/duration of visits
Broad-based Health Assessment Skills:
- Mental status
- Food/drug interactions
- Assessing community resources
- Planning frequency/duration of visits
- Advance directives
- Assessing family/primary caregiver
- Home Safety
- Assessing environment and home safety
- Pain management(or under Intervention category)
- Physical assessment
- Patient advocacy
- Pharmacology in the home
- Technology in home care
Intervention Skills:
- Central line care
- Foot care
- Ventilator care
- Care of suprapubic catheter
- Trach management, including changing trachs at home
- Diabetic care/teaching
- Respiratory treatments
- Use of gait belts
- IV care
- Death/dying in the home
- Patient education
- Home infusion/equipment
- Venipuncture skills
- Wound staging/management
Regulatory Issues/Documentation – Learning How to Document the Nursing Process:
- Conditions of participation, understanding the payment process
- Delegation
- Emergency preparedness
- Problem-solving/critical thinking
- Exposure control/risk management/personal safety
- Home care documentation
- Infection control
- Bag technique
- Hazardous waste
- Body mechanics
- Scope of practice issues
- Psychiatric home care
Legal/Ethical Issues:
- Ethics in home care