Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. HOME HEALTH RESEARCH POLICY Purpose: Our Agency considers requests for research in the area of Home Care Services of community/public health as needed in the best interest of our Agency Services Goals. Clinical reasoning of our services is examined as part of the whole home health care process from initial evaluation to discharge. A framework is developed, enabling our staff to utilize the language of clinical reasoning in performance their own clinical practice. Issues of clinical reasoning are addressed involving: existing theories, need for research, implications for improving clinical practice, and possible strategies for clinical education and continuing education. Our mechanism for reviewing, processing and improving internal and external research process examines the management role in accreditation, personnel management, multidisciplinary issues, hiring and retention of staff, conducting effective meetings and developing teams for cost effective outcomes. The mechanism proposed always will be highly interactive, and a significant amount of time will be spent exploring personal management style, communication skills, team building activities, and interviewing techniques. The focuses would be of interest to those activities involving entry-middle management or those pursuing a change to a management activities, and would also be beneficial to those staff with supervisory responsibilities for assistants and support personnel. The parameters to be in place are: - Research Protocol, developed as needed using internal or external sources/resources, and all the activities will be kept on file. - All participants will be provided with written information regarding the nature of the research, process, and benefits of the research outcomes. - The risk associated with the Research Project, always must be delineated. Our Agency may hire an external resource to conduct the whole or part of the research, but always we maintain a full responsibility and control of all part of the project, and we will verify the knowledge, references, of the external source. We must guaranteed that all investigations, studies, that involve clients and employees, they are fully informed, including but not limited to: - Informing patients of their responsibilities - Informing patient’s right to refuse acceptance of investigational drugs or experimental therapies - Informing patient’s right to refuse participation in research and clinical studies - Notifying patients that they will not be discriminated against for refusal to participate in research and clinical studies. - Stating which personnel administering investigational medications/treatments - Describing personnel monitoring a patient’s response to investigational medications/treatments - Identifying the responsibility for obtaining informed consent Home Health Agency Policies A-151