A random group of 175 nonindigent patients were placed in home care and the end results of their treatment were compared to those of a balanced control group of 85 patients retained in a general hospital. Follow-up study of patients revealed that end results of care for the two groups of patients were not significantly different regardless of the mode of care. Neither diagnosis nor prognosis made a significant difference in the end results for patients receiving either mode of care, indicating the acceptability of home care as an alternate to continued hospitalization. Patients and physicians strongly preferred home care, and it proved economically feasible for a private medical insurance carrier to provide coverage.
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Joseph R. Stone (1968) studied this question.