Zhongguo quanke yixue (Oct 2024)
Experience of Community Health Services for Home-dwelling Old Adults: a Qualitative Study
Abstract
Background The family-centered and community-based community home-based elderly care has gradually become the main trend in the context of increased population aging in China. As an important component of the primary care service system, community health services play a cornerstone role in community home-based elderly care. Understanding the experience of home-dwelling old adults on community health services will help to improve the healthcare quality and promote the development of combined medical and nursing care. Objective To understand the reasons for the home-dwelling old adults to prefer community home-based elderly care and their experience, analyze the existing problems, so as to provide reference for developing needs-oriented community health services. Methods From February to June in 2022, the home-dwelling old adults aged ≥65 years old were selected from 10 community health centers in Chengdu as the study subjects by using purposive sampling method. 10 focus groups were set up to conduct face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Data collection was performed by audio recording and text transcription. NVivo 12 software was used for the coding and categories extracting of interview content and the thematic framework analysis method was used to organize and analyze the interview data to extract the themes. Results A total of 40 home-dwelling old adults were enrolled, including 20 males and 20 females aged 65-86 years with an average age of (74.4±5.6) years, 31 cases from urban areas and 9 cases from suburban areas. The interview data were analyzed and 3 themes were extracted: Comprehensive factor of the old adults is the primary factor affecting their choice of pension modes and health needs; Community health service is an important way to provide health services for home-dwelling old adults, which cannot completely meet the health needs of the old adults; Optimizing service modes, enriching service programs and increasing external support can increase the sense of contentment and promote the health of old adults. Conclusion Home-dwelling old adults are basically satisfied with the health services provided in the community, but the personal factors of old adults, the modes and programs of community health services have influenced the experience of home-dwelling old adults with community health services, inducing their growing health needs unmet. Providing professional, diversified and precise community health services, improving the quality of medical services and the mode of medical services combining the health situation of home-dwelling old adults, are of great significance to improve the community health service system and and promote the health of older adults.
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