Abstract

Background: Health reform in many industrialized countries has prompted the shift from institutional to community care. In Ontario, this approach was instigated through the Health Services Restructuring Commission.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in the hospital sector between 1996 and 2000 resulted in changes in the provision of home-care services by nurses and practical nurses.

Methods: This study was a retrospective trend analysis of linked hospitalization and home-care utilization data for Kingston for 1996 to 2000. The measures include the rate of home care and the volume and intensity of home-care services.

Results: Between 1996 and 2000 there was a net 4% increase in the age-gender standardized rate of admission to home-care nursing services, with a 10% rate rise between 1996 and 1997. The total volume of home-care services increased during the study, as did the average intensity of home-care service delivery over the first month post-hospitalization during the first four years.

This article will give readers their first look at the changes in home-care nursing following hospital restructuring in Kingston.