Evaluation of home respiratory therapy delivered to patients in the Ministry of Health's Home Medical Program (HMP) and administered through the Madinah HMP Center, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2013

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rana A. Alhelali, Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia; Scott McNabb, Emory University; Ziad Memish, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-03-01
• Publisher: Atlantis Press
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2015.07.006
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 19
• End Page: 27
• Grant/Funding Information: None declared
• Keywords: Adult; Saudi Arabia; Home healthcare; Male; Aged; Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Respiratory therapy; Retrospective Studies; Evaluation; Treatment Outcome; Adolescent; Respiratory Therapy; Young Adult; Home Care Services; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Health Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapy

Abstract

This was an evaluation of home respiratory therapy (HRT) services administered through the Madinah Home Medical Program (MHMP) Center of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Using a retrospective design and descriptive analyses, we analyzed 83 patient records for the clinical care received, outcomes, and patient satisfaction. We also assessed a subset from an economic perspective. Demographically, 72% were >60 years of age, 80% were female, and 90% were Saudi. Asthma accounted for 34% of the diagnosed respiratory diseases, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (11%). Most patients (71%) required two or three respiratory modalities: 94% used oxygen therapy and 14% were on mechanical ventilation. A full 90% of HMP patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the HMP overall care, and 43% saw an improvement in their condition. The MHMP lowered healthcare costs for HRT-receiving patients by decreasing the frequency of emergency room (ER) and outpatient visits by 50.8% from 59 to 30 visits. HRT administered through the MHMP Center improved clinical outcomes and increased patient satisfaction while reducing hospital utilization and associated costs. A prospective study is recommended to assess HMP services in comparison with hospitalization.