Table 1 Variables and measures

   1. Healthcare centre

   2. Age

   3. Patient and caregiver gender

   4. Family relationship between patient and caregiver

1. Spouse/2. Son-Daughter/3. Brother-sister/4. Others

   5. Home care delivery sub-programme which the subject belongs to

1. Immobilised patients/2. Patients recently discharged form hospital requiring home care/3. Terminally ill patients/4. Caregiver for any of these patients

   6. Number of daily hours devoted to care by caregiver

< 1 hour/1–2 hours/3–5 hours/6–8 hours/10–20 hours/>20 hours (Thresholds from the Aged People Characteristics Study)

   7. Patient and caregiver's health problems

Classification of health problems from the National Health Survey

   8. Programme start and end dates

VARIABLES RELATED TO CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE (DEPENDENTS):

   1. Patient's functional capacity

Barthel and Lawton-Brody scales

   2. Caregiver burden

Zarit test

   3. Family role/function

APGAR family test

   4. Cognitive function

Pfeiffer test

   5. Quality of life

EUROQOL 5D

   6. Satisfaction

SATISFAD, specific questionnaire validated for assessment of satisfaction with home care services [38]

   7. Institutionalisation

   8. Mortality

   9. Management of therapeutic regimen

Nursing Outcomes Classification code 1813 [39]

VARIABLES RELATED TO USE AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES (DEPENDENTS)

   1. Hospital admissions

   2. A&E visits

   3. home visits by nurse

   4. social worker interventions

   5. physiotherapy sessions

   6. caregiver visits to healthcare centre

   7. patient visits to healthcare centre