Innovative Home Visits: A New Approach and Effectiveness through Quality Modeling and Motivation
🌟 Innovative Model of Child Care: Chosen Path to Improve Patronage!
In light of the challenges of the armed conflict in Ukraine, where the population’s level of solvency has decreased, there arose a need to review the system of mandatory home visits for infants from birth to 3 years. Currently, healthcare workers visit children only during the first month, limiting the opportunities to identify problems.
We decided to change this approach! Our Innovative Patronage Model emphasizes the comprehensive development of the child, covering physical, psycho-emotional, and social aspects. This is especially important in conditions where young families are fleeing from war, and emotional tension deepens the challenges of growth and development for children.
Our approach is based on the Kazakhstani model and the experience of trainers from the Kramatorsk Center for Primary Medical and Sanitary Care for Children, and we already see results. But we didn’t stop there – we recognized the need to adapt to Ukrainian legislation.
Through a public competition in Zhytomyr Oblast, 15 institutions joined our project. Each of them introduced staff units of “patronage nurses” and provides them with additional payment from their own funds.
A crucial step was the formation of 27 teams, including pediatricians and nurses, ready to work as a unified team, responding to the needs of the family.
Our goal is to ensure the highest level of care for children in the face of challenges faced by young families in modern Ukraine! 💙👶
🌈 Innovations in Child Care: Results and Perspectives!
Having undergone training and implemented a new approach, we have created a patronage model that changes the paradigm of home visits. The program includes universal and progressive components, providing an individual approach to each family. 🏡
Our nurses not only focus on medical aspects but also consider the psychological, physical, and social aspects of a child’s development. 🌟
76 trained healthcare workers received pediatric kits for quality home examinations. 🩺
🚗 Additionally, cars were provided for 8 Primary Medical and Sanitary Care Centers (PMSCC), making our medical staff more mobile for remote communities.
📈 Over the year, we covered 605 families and 609 children in the region. The project has also expanded to 11 regions of Ukraine, where 77 PMSCCs cover 770 children and 147 pregnant women.
🎉 Key achievements: established a national-level training team, conducted 4 training sessions for PMSCC managers, and held 42 supervisions in 54 PMSCCs.
💡 We use innovative technologies, such as telemedicine devices like TytoHome, allowing nurses and doctors to interact to ensure the best care for children. Seventeen TytoCare telemedicine devices were provided to 9 healthcare institutions (Medical Center “Prolysok +”; KNP “PMSCC 2” of Darnytskyi district of Kyiv; KNP PMSCC of Pechersk district of Kyiv; KNP Ovruch PMSCC; KNP “Buchansky PMSCC” BMR; KNP “PMSCC #2” of Svyatoshynskyi district of Kyiv; KP “KNP” Tetiivsky PMSCC “Tetiivska city council; KNP “PMSCC #2” of Podilskyi district of Kyiv – 2 devices per institution, and to KNP Center PMSCC of Radomyshl city council – 1 device). 🌐
🤝 Feedback from families is highly positive, with 97.5% expressing a desire to continue receiving home visits. The role of a patronage worker involves applying an approach based on strong relationships between parents and children, contributing to risk reduction, overcoming challenges, and early identification of vulnerable children, providing additional services as needed.
🔮 Regarding satisfaction levels and the relevance of further implementation of such a model, one can observe in the feedback from families under the care of nurses that 97.5% of them responded affirmatively, expressing a desire to continue receiving home visit services from a patronage nurse using the universal-progressive model. Currently, 8 more institutions in the Zhytomyr region have expressed a desire to join the implementation of home visits using the universal-progressive model. 💚👶
Participation of Partners and Target Groups
Partners: Zhytomyr Regional State Administration Health Department, Zhytomyr Medical Institute of the Zhytomyr Regional Council, Kramatorsk Primary Medical and Sanitary Care Center (PMSCC), “Early Intervention Institute” Charitable Foundation, State Institution “Institute of Health Protection for Children and Adolescents NAMN Ukraine,” Korostyshiv PMSCC, Lviv Medical College of the Lviv Regional Council (postgraduate education).
Target Groups (indirect): Patronage teams, primary care institutions.
Target Groups (direct): Pregnant women, women with children aged 0 to 3, children, households according to the eco-map.
List of Institutions Involved in the Project (Zhytomyr Region):
| № | Institution Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | KNP “Ovruch PMSCC” |
| 2 | KNP PMSCC of Radomyshl city council |
| 3 | KNP PMSCC of Chernyakhiv village council |
| 4 | KNP Raygorodotsky PMSCC of Berdychiv district |
| 5 | Medical Center LLC “Prolysok+” (Malyn community) |
| 6 | KNP PMSCC of Olevsk city council |
| 7 | KNP “Ambulatory of General Family Medicine” of Horodnytsia village council |
| 8 | KNP PMSCC of Zvyahel city council |
| 9 | KNP PMSCC of Brusyliv village council |
| 10 | KNP PMSCC of Yemilchyn village council |
| 11 | KNP PMSCC of Korostyshiv city council |
| 12 | KNP PMSCC of Narodychi village council |
| 13 | KNP “Ambulatory of General Family Medicine” of Stanyslaviv village council |
| 14 | KNP PMSCC of Korosten city council |
| 15 | KP PMSCC of Zhytomyr city council |
🌟 Positive Achievements in Our Project!
Public Competition: Real interest from institutions and participants became a key stage in our project. 🏆
Incentivizing Institutions: Quarterly incentives in equipment and a flexible payment system allowed us to ensure the project’s sustainability even after its completion. 💪
Government Collaboration: Collaboration with the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration enabled us to include the project in the National Program for Ukraine’s Accessibility. 🌐 The project became a flagship for the region, receiving support from the Minister of Health and inclusion in the early intervention package and the region’s socio-economic development plan.
Promotional Campaign: A high-quality promotional campaign at the regional level attracted the attention of new institutions. At the project’s closure, 8 more institutions decided to join the program and implement it in their facilities. 🚀
National Recommendation: The project was presented at the meeting of the National Council on Accessibility before the First Lady and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, receiving support from the Minister of Health and inclusion in the early intervention package. 🌈
Thank you for your support! Together, we are making significant changes in the field of home visits.
Attention to healthcare institutions in the Zhytomyr region! The project continues to thrive and develop. We invite you to join the project; you can submit your application here.