Developed by Steven C. Fox D.O., a specialist in geriatric and disability medicine. Dr. Fox serves as Medical Director for Wellspring Personal Care, a home care agency with a twenty plus year history of caring for medically fragile older adults. Home Care Metrics has transformed the home care experience by "Measuring What Matters". For the first time, Wellspring Personal Care’s caregivers and clinical team have a shared platform to collect actionable, reliable data, that is used when choosing how and when to intervene. Dr. Fox identified geriatric syndromes, which describe the unique features of common health conditions in older people, as one of the focus areas for caregiver training and implementation of Home Care Metrics℠. A second focus area includes older adult clients recovering at home from orthopedic surgical procedures. A set of custom Home Care Metrics℠ trackers were developed to improve outcomes specifically for orthopedic patients with short term home care needs.
For clients with health conditions that require monitoring, Wellspring Personal Care equips the home with easy to use tablet computers. Caregivers are trained to enter actionable information into the tablet that might signal a change in condition such as altered mental status, changes in sleep patterns, elimination patterns or appetite. Home Care Metrics℠ built in tools "Measure What Matters"©. They are intuitive and ask simple questions about what is being observed. When Wellspring caregivers document changes in condition, Home Care Metrics sends text message alerts and emails to the clinical team. The alerts prompt a clinical assessment so that proactive measures can be taken immediately to avoid adverse events. The failure to observe or make timely reports of changes in condition that signal the onset of a new problem, or exacerbation of a chronic condition, often lead to unplanned hospitalizations.
Case example 75-year-old widow with a post stroke hemiplegia dementia, and impaired ability to communicate, refused breakfast and appeared more confused. Her caregiver immediately reported this as a change in condition via text and email alert. There was an observed mental status change. On call clinical staff was immediately able to review all of her monitored metrics including bowel and bladder function. Her primary care physician was informed and provided with graphic reports via email. A presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract infection was made, antibiotics were administered, and the urinary tract was infection was resolved without complication.