Evolving Nurses into Home Health Care Practice

Home health care (HHC) is a regulated program of care delivered by a multidisciplinary team in the patient's home. It is of high demand in Saudi Arabia; however there are shortages in health care personnel. Moreover, current internship programs do not address the concepts and unique skills involved in HHC practice. The purpose of this article is to present a HHC training program for registered nurses in Saudi Arabia, which aims at qualifying 60 nurses with high standards of knowledge, technical and communication skills, empowering them to overcome all the challenges faced during home visits. The training program consists of three sections provided over 2 months followed by an advanced course. It was designed based on the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model. This program will be the cornerstone of HHC subspecialty in the nursing colleges of Saudi Arabia, as a skill-based training program with outcomes that can be measured and evaluated. It will enable the HHC centers in Saudi Arabia to adequately address the shortages of qualified nurses.