Home Health Care Research for Children with Disability and Medical Complexity

Pediatric home health care—an essential component of care for children with disability and medical complexity—includes the services provided by family caregivers and nonfamily home health care providers, as well as the use of durable medical equipment and medical supplies. Home health care is crucial for physiological health and the ability to participate and function in home, school, and community settings. To ensure that home health care research focuses on outcomes that are important to families, providers, and other key stakeholders, dedicated funding and research efforts are required.  

This article, published in Pediatrics, provides an overview of the recent literature on pediatric home health care and proposes an actionable agenda for addressing gaps in information. The authors assert that pediatricians should partner with patients and family caregiving experts to advance knowledge in areas such as home health care use and recommend that all efforts have the goal of ensuring equitable outcomes for every child and family.