RESUMEN
The care of sick premature infants at home is evaluated in terms of the benefits related to the health outcome of infants. The home care was provided by trained pediatric nurses through a service-oriented community agency. Pediatric nurses delivered home care 24 hours or less to sick very low birth weight infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit in lieu of continued hospitalization. Nursing care at home is described along with a sample nursing care plan for an infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The efficacy of home care on medical utilization indicated that there were less hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and visits to the specialty clinics than previously reported in the literature. Home visitation appeared to improve the health of high-risk premature infants, is cost effective, and may be less stressful for parents.
Asunto(s)
Servicios de Atención de Salud a Domicilio , Enfermedades del Prematuro/enfermería , Enfermería Pediátrica , Displasia Broncopulmonar/enfermería , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Recien Nacido Prematuro , Planificación de Atención al PacienteRESUMEN
This article compares the Puerto Rican and Cuban public health and mental health systems and the respective health profiles, emphasizing the role of psychosocial stressors. The Cuban health system was found to be better organized and more capable of providing equitable health care and encouraging community participation in health care delivery. However, the Puerto Rican public health system is in crisis and in the process of turning over the administration of its facilities to the private medical sector. Although both countries share health profiles similar to those of developed nations, differences in morbidity and mortality patterns, and the seemingly epidemic incidence of mental disorders in Puerto Rico suggest dissimilarities between their respective psychosocial stressors. Differences in the quality of public health care and in the health profiles seem mostly attributable to the divergent political and economic organization and priorities of both countries.