What Is a Home Care Infusion Experience?

Types

A variety of medications can be infused at home.patient's arm prepped for iv drip image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com

Several different kinds of medication are given by home infusion. Antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs are the most common, according to the United States Office of Technology Assessment, especially for patients with chronic or drug-resistant infections. Drugs to relieve severe pain, increase the heart rate for patients with heart failure or stop uterine contractions in pregnant women can all be given at home, eliminating the need for extended hospital stays.

Home blood transfusions can prevent life-threatening blood loss in people with hemophilia.culot sanguin image by Stef Run from Fotolia.com

Home infusion therapy has many benefits, according to the Rush Hemophilia and Thrombophilia center. For children and adults diagnosed with hemophilia, prompt administration of blood transfusions or clotting factors can prevent a possible medical emergency with prompt treatment of bleeding. Patients and caregivers who know how and when to administer their own medications at home experience greater independence and and a sense of empowerment. Often people with chronic illnesses experience feelings of loss of control over their own bodies, according to an article published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, making any increase in feelings of empowerment very important.

Infection is one of the risks of home infusion therapy.intravenous port in hand image by Joyce Wilkes from Fotolia.com

Although most home care infusion experiences are positive, there are risks. Redness and swelling at the IV insertion site can indicate infection. According to the Patient Health Education Office of the University of Texas Medical Branch, this is commonly the result of not washing the hands or sterilizing the injection ports with alcohol swabs before drug administration. Other possible problems include reduced medication effectiveness due to improper storage or mixing, or a poor response to treatment that is not noticed by the patient or caregiver.

Home infusion requires a variety of specialized services, and all of these come with separate costs. Each medication to be infused has to be prescribed by a physician and dispensed by a pharmacy. A home care nurse needs to start the intravenous line and monitor the patient's response to treatment. The tubing, bags, dressings for the insertion site, alcohol swabs and saline flushes all have an associated cost, and it's very important to contact private insurers or Medicare before the initiation of therapy. Medicare only covers infusion therapy in a clinic or hospital setting, as stated in the 2011 edition of "Medicare and You."