In-home medical care is often and more accurately referred to as “home health care” or formal care. Often, the term home health care is used to distinguish it from non-medical care, custodial care, or private-duty care which is care that is provided by persons who are not nurses, doctors, or other licensed medical personnel.

In the global world today taking care of patients in the comfort of their own home is a growing trend.

There are many reasons the Home Care area is growing, partly because there are now available several support systems in the form of pharmaceuticals, capital equipment such as home ventilators that could care of patients outside the hospitals.

Partly it is also due to the fact of the growing risk of nosocomial infections in hospitals, when possible one wants to relocate patients home when possible.

Last but not least, worldwide the aging population is growing fast, with countries as Japan and Germany on top.
Many of the Home Care patients are tracheotomised, either for short and long term, or chronically. When a tracheotomy tube is inserted, one bypasses the upper airways, thus minimizes the opportunity to provide important heat and moisture to the respiratory system.This could be corrected by adding a passive humidifier i.e. and heat & moisture exchanger (HME). HME’s are an easy and low cost way to provide adequate humidification. There is also less risk for cross contamination.

Pharma Systems have a family of well-designed HME’s for spontaneously tracheotomized patients. Available is everything from a basic HME as well as a multi-function product with built in suctioning facilities and ports for oxygen supply. There are also different pre-packed bags and accessories available.