1.1 Introduction
Home visit is defined as a planned outreach activity conducted by trained health personnel to households for the purpose of providing preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative health services within the home environment (World Health Organization, 2021). It involves direct interaction with families to assess health conditions, provide health education, and ensure continuity of care for individuals who may not frequently access health facilities (Ghana Health Service, 2020). The effectiveness of home visits is often measured by improvements in family health status, reduction in disease prevalence, and increased utilization of healthcare services. In many developing regions, home visits is used as a key strategy for improving maternal and child health outcomes, disease prevention, and health education at the community level (WHO, 2021).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are significance of the study, scope of work, research hypothesis and questions, limitation of the study and definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Home visits as a structured component of healthcare delivery originated from early public health reforms aimed at extending medical services beyond hospital settings into communities. According to World Health Organization (2021), the concept of home-based care emerged as part of primary healthcare strategies designed to improve accessibility, equity, and continuity of care, especially in rural and underserved populations. WHO further reported that home visitation programmes became globally recognized after the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978, which emphasized community participation and health for all as key development goals.
Primary health care delivery continues to evolve as health systems seek more effective ways of reaching populations that are difficult to serve through conventional facility-based care. In many developing countries, community-based health interventions have become essential in improving access, equity, and quality of care. In the Western Region of Ghana, especially in the Jomoro District where Half Assini is located, health conditions are shaped by a combination of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural factors. According to Ghana Ministry of Health reports, rural communities in the region continue to experience preventable diseases such as malaria, diarrhoeal infections, respiratory illnesses, and maternal health complications due to inadequate preventive practices and delayed health-seeking behaviour (Ministry of Health, 2022).
Home visits form a core component of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) strategy implemented in Ghana. Ghana Health Service has reported that CHPS was designed to bring health care closer to the people by deploying trained community health officers to provide services at the doorstep of households (Ghana Health Service, 2022). Home visit programmes is a fundamental component of primary healthcare systems designed to extend health services beyond clinical facilities into households, ensuring that individuals receive continuous and accessible care. WHO further reported that home-based interventions is essential in improving maternal and child health outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved communities where access to healthcare facilities is limited.
Ghana Health Service (2020) stated that, community-based health planning and services is implemented to strengthen healthcare delivery at the grassroots level through regular home visits conducted by trained community health officers. UNICEF (2019) asserted that, home visit interventions is a proven strategy for improving child survival and maternal health by ensuring that families receive timely information on nutrition, immunization, and hygiene practices.
Kyei and Boachie (2020) stated that regular home visits is associated with improved health-seeking behaviour among families and increased compliance with medical advice. Kyei and Boachie also affirmed that lack of adequate monitoring and evaluation systems is reducing the effectiveness of these interventions in rural communities. This study is set against the backdrop of improving community health systems through effective home visit programmes aimed at enhancing family health status.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that home visit services in Half Assini, Jomoro District is inconsistently implemented, leading to gaps in continuous monitoring of family health conditions. Also, many households is not regularly reached by community health workers, resulting in limited access to preventive health education and early disease detection. On the other hand, there is evidence that some families still depend heavily on traditional health practices and self-medication due to poor exposure to structured health education during home visits (World Health Organization, 2021).
Furthermore, poor coordination between health facilities and community health workers is creating gaps in service delivery, thereby reducing the quality and continuity of care provided during home visits. These challenges is contributing to persistent cases of preventable diseases, maternal health complications, and poor child health outcomes within households in the study area (Ghana Health Service, 2020).
It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to determine the impact of home visits on family health status in Half Assini, Jomoro District, Western Region of Ghana.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of this study is to determine the impact of home visits on family health status in Half Assini, Jomoro District, Western Region of Ghana. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the extent of home visit services provided to families in Half Assini.
- To examine the influence of home visits on health awareness among families in Half Assini.
- To assess the impact of home visits on disease prevention practices among families in Half Assini.
- To determine the effect of home visits on the utilization of healthcare services by families in Half Assini.
- To identify the challenges affecting the effectiveness of home visits in improving family health status in Half Assini.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the extent of home visit services provided to families in Half Assini?
- How do home visits influence health awareness among families in Half Assini?
- What impact do home visits have on disease prevention practices among families in Half Assini?
- How do home visits affect the utilization of healthcare services by families in Half Assini?
- What challenges affect the effectiveness of home visits in improving family health status in Half Assini?
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