Psychological support strategies of managers and outreach team leaders in assisting community home-based care workers

Abstract

Background
Home-based care workers provide comprehensive services, which include health and social services by formal and informal caregivers in the homes of patients to promote, restore and maintain a person's optimal level of comfort, physical function and general health care, including care towards a dignified death. They render home-based care and support services to patients at home to reduce unnecessary visits and admissions to health care facilities and therefore,
experience emotional and psychological challenges for which they might need support.
Aim
To explore the psychological support strategies used by managers and outreach team leaders to support home based care workers HBCWs.
Methods
An exploratory qualitative design was used with in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was employed to select (14) outreach team leaders and (06) managers for data collection. Data was collected until saturation was reached at 17 participants through individual face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Discussions were private and participation was entirely optional.
Findings
The findings revealed that psychological issues had a negative impact on the performance of HBCWs, managers and outreach team leaders. The consequential psychological effects from working with chronic and HIV/AIDS patients raised support needs such as: psychotherapy, group therapy, counselling and debriefing sessions.
Conclusion
Psychological support will assist to refer HBCWs to the available support services. Clear rules and guidelines through stakeholder engagement for the referral of patients to support services must be developed. Policies should be developed to address the issue of establishing a governing body for home-based care.