HOME VISIT

Prepared by: DR. MARIA BERENICE GLIZZLE M. CATABAY

 HOME VISIT

• Is a professional face to face contact

made by a nurse to the patient or the
family to provide necessary health care
activities and to further attain an objective
of the agency.
• It is made to the client or to a responsible
member of the family.
 PRINCIPLES IN PREPARING A
HOME VISIT
• Planning for a home visit is an essential tool in
achieving best results.
1. A home visit should have a purpose or
objective.
2. Planning a home visit should make use of all
available information about the patient and
his/her family through family health records,
• Knowledge of the health center personnel,
including those from other agencies that
may have rendered services to this
particular patient or family.
3. Planning should revolve around the
essential needs of the individual and his/her
family but priority should be given to those
needs recognized by the family itself.
4. Planning of a continuing care should involve the
individual and his/her family.

5. Planning should be flexible and practical.

 Factors to be Considered in
Determining the Frequency of HV
• No definite rule as to the frequency
• Frequency of HV should take into
consideration the ff factors:
- physical, psychological and educational
needs of the individual
- acceptance of the family for the services
offered the willingness and
interest to cooperate
 - take into account other health
agencies and the number of health
personnel already involved in
the care of a specific family
- Policy of a given agency and the
emphasis placed on a given health
program
- Careful evaluation of past services given to a
family and how this family made use of such
nursing services.
- Ability of the patient and his/her family to
recognize their own needs, their knowledge of
available resources and their abilities to use
these resources on their own accord.
 BAG TECHNIQUE

• A tool making use of a public health

bag through which the nurse, during
his/her home visit, can perform
nursing procedures with ease and
deftness, saving time and effort with
the end in view of rendering effective
nursing care.
 PUBLIC HEALTH BAG

• Is an essential and indispensable

equipment of the public health nurse
which he/she has to carry along when
he/she goes out home visiting. It
contains basic medications and
articles which are necessary for
• giving care.
 RATIONALE

• To render effective nursing care

to clients and/or members of the
family during home visit.
 PRINCIPLES

1. The use of the bag technique should

minimize if not totally prevent the spread
of infection from individuals to families,
hence, to the community.
2. Bag technique should save time and effort
on the part of the nurse in the
performance of nursing procedures.
3. Bag technique should not overshadow
concern for the patient rather should show
the effectiveness of total care given to an
individual or family.
4. Bag technique can be performed in a
variety of ways depending upon agency
policies, actual home situation, etc., as
long as principles of avoiding transfer of
infection is carried out.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE
USE OF THE BAG
1. The bag should contain all necessary
articles, supplies and equipment which
may be used to answer emergency
needs.
2. The bag and its contents should be
cleaned as often as possible, supplies
replaced, and ready for use at any time.
3. The bag and its contents should be well
protected from contact with any article in
the home of the patients. Consider the
bag and its contents clean and/or sterile
while any article belonging to the patient
as dirty and contaminated.
4. The arrangement of the contents of the
bag should be the one most convenient to
the user to facilitate efficiency and avoid
confusion.
5. Hand washing is done as frequently as
the situation calls for, helps in minimizing
or avoiding contamination of the bag and
its contents.
6. The bag when used for a communicable
case should be thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected before keeping and re-using.
 STEPS/PROCEDURES
1. Upon arriving at the • To protect the bag
client’s home, place from contamination.
the bag on the table
or any flat surface
lined with paper
lining, clean side out
(folded part touching
the table). Put bag’s
handles or strap
beneath the bag.
2. Ask for a basin of • To be used for hand
water and a glass of washing
water if faucet is not
available. Place
these outside the
work area.
3. Open the bag, take • To protect the work
the linen/plastic field from being wet.
lining and spread • To make a non-
over work field or contaminated work
area. The paper field or area.
lining, clean side out
(folded part out).
4. Take out hand towel, • To prepare for hand
soap dish and apron washing
and place them at
one corner of the
work area (within the
confines of the
linen/plastic lining).
5. Do hand washing. • Hand washing
Wipe, dry with towel. prevents possible
Leave the plastic infection from care
wrappers of the provider to the client.
towel in soap dish in
the bag.
6. Put on apron right • To protect the nurse’s
side out and wrong uniform. Keeping the
side with crease crease creates
touching the body, aesthetic appearance.
sliding the head into
the neck strap.
Neatly tie the straps
at the back.
7. Put out things most • To make them readily
needed for the accessible.
specific case (e.g.
thermometer, kidney
basin, cotton ball,
waste paper bag)
and place at one
corner of the work
area.
8. Place waste paper • To prevent
bag outside of work contamination of
area. clean area.
9. Close the bag • To give comfort and
security, maintain
personal hygiene and
hasten recovery
10.Proceed to the • To prevent
specific nursing care contamination of bag
or treatment. and contents.
11.After completing • To protect caregiver
nursing care or and prevent spread of
treatment, clean and infection to others.
alcoholize the things
used.
12.Do handwashing 14.Remove apron
again. folding away from
13.Open the bag and the body, with soiled
put back all articles sidefolded inwards,
in their proper and the clean side
places. out. Place it in the
bag.
15.Fold the linen/plastic
lining, clean, place it
in the bag and close
the bag.
16.Make post-visit • To be used as
conference on reference for future
matters relevant to visit
health care, taking
anecdotal notes
preparatory to final
reporting.
17.Make appointment • For follow-up care.
for the next visit
(either home or
clinic), taking note of
the date, time and
purpose.
 AFTER CARE

1. Before keeping all articles in the bag,

clean and alcoholize them
2. Get the bag from the table. Fold the paper
lining (and insert) and place in between
the flaps and cover the bag.
 Evaluation and Documentation

1. Record all relevant finding about the client and

members of the family.
2. Take note of environmental factors which affect the
clients/family health.
3. Include quality of nurse-patient relationship.
4. Assess effectiveness of nursing care provided.

Reference: Public Health Nursing in the Philippines, 2007

Thank You
Make Community Service More Fun!!!!

Prepared by:

MARIA BERENICE GLIZZLE M. CATABAY, PhD