Preparing Home Health Aides to Serve as Health Coaches for Home Care Patients With Chronic Illness: Findings and Lessons Learned From a Mixed-Method Evaluation of Two Pilot Programs
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online August, 2017
Preparing Home Health Aides to Serve as Health Coaches for Home Care Patients With Chronic Illness: Findings and Lessons Learned From a Mixed-Method Evaluation of Two Pilot Programs
This article highlights findings from a mixed-method evaluation of two pilot programs that utilized Home Health Aides (HHAs) as health coaches for home care patients with chronic illness, including (1) a dedicated health coaching program for patients with heart failure and (2) an integrated program for HHAs working with chronically ill patients. Interviews were conducted with HHAs and staff to understand their experiences implementing program activities. Data from clinical assessments and surveys were employed to examine the characteristics and outcomes of patients. HHAs viewed health coaching positively and described it as an informative process that is dependent on patient motivation and willingness to change. Patients in both programs reported improvement in self-care maintenance. Patients in the chronic illness program also reported improved quality-of-life.
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