Strategy. Home Visiting
Approach. Support home visiting programs that promote annual well-woman visits and preventive cancer screenings
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Overview. Studies indicate that home visiting nurses and lay health advisors can be effective supporters for annual well woman visits and preventive cancer screenings. They can help educate women on the importance of preventive checkups, help schedule appointments, and follow up with reminders.
Evidence. Emerging Evidence.
Strategies with this rating typically trend positive and have good potential to work...
Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source.
Potential Data Sources. Data to support this strategy can be accessed through:
- Home visiting program records and documentation
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Home visiting activity logs and client interaction data
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Evaluation data including feedback from home visiting staff
Outcome Components.
This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes
(Read more about these categories):
- Access to/Receipt of Care. This strategy increases the ability for individuals to obtain healthcare services when needed, including preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services.
- Utilization. This strategy improves the extent to which individuals and communities use available healthcare services.
- Patient Experience of Care. This study improves individuals' perceptions, feelings, and satisfaction with the healthcare services they receive.
Detailed Outcomes.
For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy,
access the peer-reviewed evidence
and read the Intervention Results for each study.
Intervention Type.
Community Organizing (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the
Public Health Intervention Wheel).
Intervention Level.
Community-Focused
Examples from the Field.
Access descriptions of ESMs
that use this strategy or aligned components.
Sample ESMs.
Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the RBA framework
(see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).
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Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort (“What/how much did we do?”)
- Number of home visiting nurses and lay health advisors trained to educate women on the importance of preventive checkups, assist with appointment scheduling, and provide reminders. (Measures the capacity building efforts to support effective promotion of preventive care)
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Number of women enrolled in home visiting programs who receive education and support for well-woman visits and preventive cancer screenings. (Measures the reach and engagement of home visiting interventions focused on preventive care)
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Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort (“How well did we do it?”)
- Percent of home visiting nurses and lay health advisors who complete training on evidence-based strategies for promoting well-woman visits and preventive cancer screenings. (Measures the quality and effectiveness of workforce development efforts)
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Percent of home visits that include comprehensive education and support for preventive care, based on standardized curricula and protocols. (Measures the consistency and fidelity of preventive care promotion within home visiting services)
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Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect (“Is anyone better off?”)
- Number of collaborative learning sessions and best practice sharing events conducted for home visiting programs and healthcare providers to improve the integration of preventive care promotion. (Measures efforts to foster continuous quality improvement and cross-sector collaboration)
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Number of community partnerships established by home visiting programs to address challenges to accessing preventive care (e.g., transportation, childcare). (Measures the breadth and depth of cross-sector collaboration to support holistic needs)
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Number of women from communities that have additional needs in the primary care system who receive their first well-woman visit or preventive cancer screening as a result of participation in home visiting programs. (Measures the intervention's success in reaching and engaging populations facing significant access challenges)
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Number of preventable health conditions and complications averted through early detection and intervention facilitated by home visiting programs. (Measures the long-term impact of home visiting on improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs)
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Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect (“How are they better off?”)
- Percent of home visiting programs that prioritize outreach and enrollment of women from communities with the lowest rates of well-woman visits and preventive cancer screenings. (Measures the tailoring of home visiting interventions)
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Percent of home visiting curricula and training materials that are adapted to meet the needs of local communities. (Measures the responsiveness of home visiting interventions)
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Percent increase in well-woman visit and preventive cancer screening rates among women who participate in home visiting programs, compared to baseline rates and women not enrolled in home visiting. (Measures the population-level impact of home visiting on reducing preventive care differences)
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Percent reduction in late-stage diagnoses and preventable complications among women engaged in home visiting programs, compared to women not receiving home visiting services. (Measures the intervention's effectiveness in facilitating early detection and timely treatment)
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Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:
- Move from measuring quantity to quality.
- Move from measuring effort to effect.
- Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
- The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.
Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.
References
[1] Home visiting programs during the postpartum period can serve as a crucial link between prenatal care/labor and delivery and well woman/interconception care, but they are not a substitute for a woman’s visit with a medical provider. (Handler, A., Zimmermann, K., Dominik, B., & Garland, C. E. (2019). Universal Early Home Visiting: A Strategy for Reaching All Postpartum Women. Maternal and child health journal, 23(10), 1414–1423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02794-5)
