Introducing Home-Based Medical Care

Over the past several years, home-based medical care has become increasingly recognized as a critical component of healthcare delivery in the USA, especially in the care of frail, functionally impaired older adults. Despite this, formal medical education in home-based medical care is limited. This book is intended to be a practical clinical reference for healthcare clinicians who practice medicine in the home; the orientation is geared primarily toward home-based primary care, but its basic principles and approaches are highly applicable for providers engaged in other models comprising the home-based medical care ecosystem. Terminology related to this field can be confusing. We adopt the term “home-based medical care” to emphasize the relevance of this practice model as a vital part of the contemporary healthcare system.