Which need characteristics influence healthcare service utilization in home care arrangements in Germany?

Abstract

BackgroundWe see a growing number of older adults receiving long-term care in industrialized countries. The Healthcare Utilization Model by Andersen suggests that individual need characteristics influence utilization. The purpose of this study is to analyze correlations between need characteristics and service utilization in home care arrangements.Methods1,152 respondents answered the questionnaire regarding their integration of services in their current and future care arrangements. Care recipients with high long-term care needs answered the questionnaire on their own, the family caregiver assisted the care recipient in answering the questions, or the family caregiver responded to the questionnaire on behalf of the care recipient. They were asked to rank specific needs according to their situation. We used descriptive statistics and regression analysis.ResultsRespondents are widely informed about services. Nursing services and counseling are the most used services. Short-term care and guidance and training have a high potential for future use. Day care, self-help groups, and mobile services were the most frequently rejected services in our survey. Women use more services than men and with rising age utilization increases. Long waiting times and bad health of the primary caregiver increases the chance of integrating services into the home care arrangements.ConclusionThe primary family caregiver has a high impact on service utilization. This indicates that the whole family should be approached when offering services. Professionals should react upon the specific needs of care dependents and their families.

Social factors influencing utilization of home care in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review

“…Most of the studies (44 studies or 66.7%) were secondary data analyses of existing databases, [ 42 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 50 , 51 , 54 , 57 , 59 – 63 , 65 , 66 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 72 , 74 – 76 , 80 , 82 , 83 , 87 , 90 , 93 – 96 , 100 – 102 ]; of which, ten of these studies used econometric analytic techniques [ 41 , 43 , 56 , 64 , 77 , 84 , 86 , 91 , 97 , 98 ]. Other study designs included nine cross-sectional surveys [ 40 , 48 , 55 , 58 , 79 , 81 , 85 , 103 , 105 ], five longitudinal cohort studies [ 46 , 49 , 70 , 78 , 88 ], four retrospective cohort studies [ 73 , 89 , 99 , 104 ], and one each of a case control [ 53 ], quasi experimental [ 52 ], cluster randomized controlled trial [ 92 ] and quality improvement study [ 67 ]. Fifty-six studies (84.9%) controlled for health status in some way, either in study design or using statistical techniques.…”

“…However, across 31 studies for home care propensity and 8 studies for home care intensity, gender was evaluated to have an uncertain relationship on home care utilization. While fourteen studies found women used more homes care services than men [ 51 , 62 , 66 , 70 , 74 , 78 , 81 , 82 , 86 , 90 , 94 , 97 , 102 , 104 ], an equal number of studies did not show a significant difference in service use [ 41 , 42 , 44 , 46 , 49 , 54 , 55 , 65 , 75 – 77 , 79 , 80 , 84 , 103 ].…”

“…Older adults open to experiences (described as a tendency to be drawn to novel ideas, feelings, values, actions, and sensations) was positively associated with receipt of home care [ 61 ], as was being afraid to fall and thus choosing to restrict activities [ 57 ]. No association was found for older adults who expressed positive affect, purpose in life or fear of emergency situations [ 55 , 59 ].…”

Evaluation of trip and car sharing concepts for home health care services

“…Whilst the majority of tasks are nursing services and counselling, demand for short-term care is particularly expected to increase (Dorin et al 2014). As a result, home health care (HHC) providers face increased organisational efforts, whilst being additionally exposed to various risks affecting service quality as well as client and employee satisfaction (Rest et al 2012).…”

Who pays for home care? A study of nationally representative data on disabled older Americans

“…Home care services (provided by paid caregivers) are a valuable source of post-acute and long-term care for older people and their families. These services may help older people with health problems remain in the community [ 1 ], while complementing or serving as a substitute for family caregiving [ 2 ]. For these reasons, ensuring equitable access to home care services has been an important goal of long-term care policy, both in the United States and abroad.…”