Strengthening condition-specific evidence-based home healthcare practice.

The home health industry has lagged in adopting evidence-based care but is now well positioned to adopt such practices. However, few clinical practice guidelines have been developed for the home healthcare setting. This paper reviews the existing evidence base for prevalent home healthcare diagnoses and conditions and the progress made in applying those practices in home healthcare. Existing guidelines for congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, falls, osteoarthritis, depression, and medication management could be modified for applicability to home healthcare. The evidence for a number of home healthcare practices is robust enough to argue for widespread dissemination and implementation.