Patients need certain physical abilities (motor skills) to get in and out of bed or to perform other transfer skills. Their physical abilities can be developed or maintained by managing their symptoms or through physical or occupational therapy. Getting better at performing these transfers may be a sign that they are meeting the goals of their care plan or that their health status is improving.
Continued weakness or a new medical problem that makes it difficult for patients to get in and out of bed may require changes to their care plan. For instance, they may need extra services or assistance.
Being able to get in and out of bed by themselves may be necessary before they can do many other things to care for themselves, like getting dressed or getting to the toilet. It is especially important if they don't have informal caregivers who can help them when their home health caregiver is not there or their home health care ends. Similarly, being able to get on and off the toilet (or commode) or into and out of the tub or shower is necessary to perform other self-care activities.
Most people value being able to take care of themselves. It is important that home health care staff and informal caregivers encourage patients to be as independent as possible. If they can perform activities such as getting in and out of bed with little help, they may be more independent, feel better about themselves, and stay more active. This can positively affect their overall health. Home health staff also can evaluate patients' needs for, and teach them how to use, special devices or equipment to help increase their ability to perform some activities without the assistance of another person. Patients' ability to transfer themselves in various situations may help them live independently as long as possible in their own home.
If patients stop taking care of themselves, it may mean that their health has gotten worse. In addition, their health and quality of life may get worse in the future. Some patients will lose function in their basic daily activities even though the home health care agency provides good care.
This is one of 41 OASIS-based measures for which Medicare-certified home health agencies receive performance reports from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The reports cover Medicare and Medicaid adult non-maternity patients and compare each agency's rates to national reference rates and to the agency's own rates in the previous year. The reports provide home health agencies with information they can use to improve quality of care by targeting care practices that influence specific patient functioning and health status, as part of a comprehensive quality improvement approach.
This measure is also one of ten Home Health Quality Initiative measures; a resource to help consumers compare home health agencies, and they are intended to motivate home health agencies to improve care and to inform discussions about quality between consumers and clinicians.
