Improving the Relationship of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Home Care Aides and Clients Through Health Interviewing.

TitleImproving the Relationship of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Home Care Aides and Clients Through Health Interviewing.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsDanilovich, M, Diaz, L, Boyken, L, Eisenstein, A, Johnson, R
JournalJ Appl Gerontol
Volume39
Issue7
Pagination778-784
Date Published2020 Jul
ISSN1552-4523
KeywordsCommunity Health Services, Home Care Services, Home Health Aides, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Medicaid, Motivation, United States
Abstract

Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) care plans should be person-centered, yet there is little research on how to ascertain this information in practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a home care aide (HCA)-led health interview with clients during usual HCBS. We provided interview training, and HCAs ( = 21) conducted five interviews with one client each using a card sort methodology to elicit client care preferences. HCAs audio-recorded interviews and photographed card sorts for analysis. We used a mixed-methods approach of semistructured interviews and focus groups with clients and HCAs to evaluate the health interviewing experience and client surveys of Your Health Orientation, Willingness to Communicate, and PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) global health and HCA surveys of the Active Empathetic Listening Scale. We used tests to investigate changes in survey outcomes pre and post interviews. Results show HCAs can conduct health interviews, and doing so contributes new knowledge on client preferences for care. Clients desire HCAs who provide empathy, compassion, and motivation, and HCAs felt interviewing clients helped them to better understand their care recipient's needs.

DOI10.1177/0733464819863915
Alternate JournalJ Appl Gerontol
PubMed ID31315483