The Responsibilities of a Home Care Nurse Are Very Important
Home care nurses provide personal care for patients who are receiving care in their homes. These patients may be recovering from surgery or they could be suffering with chronic diseases or other health ailments and disabilities and prefer to stay in their homes instead of relocating to a long term care facility. These nurses offer individualized care and home care nurse responsibilities vary depending on the patient they are taking care of.
Observation and Assessment
Home care nurses are on the front lines when they are providing in-home care for patients. They do this by monitoring their patients’ vital signs as well as looking for changes in patients’ behavior and any reactions they are having to the medications they are taking. One of the home care nurse responsibilities requirements is that they report frequently to patients’ doctors and their families. Therefore they inform physicians and family members if patients show new symptoms or if their health worsens.
Medication Administration
A home care nurse is licensed, hence this license allows them to administer prescribed medications to patients. They can even administer intravenous medications if they are prescribed by the patient’s doctor. Although they cannot prescribe medicine, they can change a patient’s dose if they get the doctor’s approval first.
Provide Companionship
The main goal of in-home health care is to allow patients to stay independent while getting the care they need. This allows patients to stay comfortable and be secure while being under supervised health care. These nurses help to maintain a patient’s emotional, mental and physical well-being. They can communicate with the patients and connect with them.
Communication
Communication and companionship go hand in hand. The nurse may be the only person the patient sees on a regular basis. This is why it is critical that the home care nurse keeps the lines of communication open at all times.
Home care nurse responsibilities require nurses to be flexible when providing in-home care. They vary the care they provide based on doctor care plans and changes in the patient’s condition.
Home care nurses are an instrumental part of a successful in-home care plan. To learn how these skilled nurses can help you or your loved one, contact Evergreen Private Care. Evergreen is a referral agency in the Houston area that can help you with your specific home care needs. Request more information today!