In-home care of mildly ill children: Risk management issues
✍ Scribed by Nordhoff, Jacquelyn A. ;Mckenna, Patricia M.
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 2009
- Weight
- 513 KB
- Volume
- 12
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0899-1073
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Introduction and overview
In 1989,lO million children younger than six years old had both parents, or their only parent, working. The U.S. Labor Department estimates that an additional 2 million children joined them by the end of 1991 (ref.
1).
According to the Child Care Action Campaign, a national child care advocacy group, absenteeism by working parents as a result of child care emergencies is costing companies $3 billion per year (ref.
2). As a result, sick child care is fast following day care as one of the most important benefits employers can offer their employee work force.
Early in 1989, the president of St. Joseph's Hospital, a 305-bed full-service hospital in Savannah, GA, became aware of the development of an in-home sick child care program that had both risk management and quality assurance components. At the same time, the consulting firm developing the program contacted the president to explore any interest St. Joseph's Hospital might have in incorporating the hospitalbased program into its existing services.
In the fall of 1989, the president decided to include the hospital-based in-home sick child care concept, known as Stay-At-Home Services, in the services St. Joseph's Hospital provides to the community. That decision was based on the following factors: rn The service was based on the hospital's philosophy and addressed the hospital's mission statement.
The service met an unmet need in the community. w The risk inherent in the provision of a service specializing in the care of children was minimized.