Controlled study of home care by nurse-practitioners in patients with advanced cancer

A model, suitable for most rural areas in the United States, has been developed with nurse practitioners visiting patients in their homes and acting as the primary professional interface between a rehabilitation team and patients with advanced cancer. Counties in Vermont were paired and one group received visits from nurses and social worker/evaluators while the other only received visits from the social worker/evaluators. The study showed that nurses have a major influence on pain management. Patients who were home visited by the nurses spent fewer days in the hospital than those not visited by the nurse, thus facilitating comfort for the patients as well as reduced costs. (Abstr. Hlth Care Mgmt. Stud., Dec. 1979)