A comprehensive review of home healthcare research spanning multiple decades has found that while the field has experienced substantial growth, critical gaps persist in studying mental health services, screening programs for high-risk groups, and care for pediatric and socially vulnerable populations.
The findings, published this month in BMC Health Services Research, analyzed trends in home healthcare (HHC) research output and content over several decades. Researchers found that annual publication volume surpassed 1,000 articles in 2010 and peaked at more than 1,800 in 2024 — reflecting the field’s broad expansion. Yet despite that volume, key populations and care categories have remained on the research periphery.
“This study’s findings underscore the need for policymakers and practitioners to prioritize underserved areas, offering an evidence-based foundation rooted in the research shift toward digital and community-integrated models to design more equitable, effective, and patient-centered healthcare systems,” the authors wrote.
What the Research Has Covered
The existing body of HHC research has concentrated on healthcare utilization, technology-enabled care, and person-centered end-of-life care — areas reflecting broader healthcare system priorities and available funding streams. Telehealth integration and digital care delivery models have attracted growing scholarly attention, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated remote care adoption.
Research addressing mental health services delivered within home care settings, screening protocols for high-risk patient groups, and care models serving children and adolescents, however, has shown limited growth over time. The authors identified workforce shortages and policy constraints as contributing factors that limit both the delivery and the study of these services.
A Widening Mental Health Gap
The research shortfall is set against a backdrop of deepening mental health workforce shortages across the United States. According to an April 2026 analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, approximately 137 million Americans — about 40% of the U.S. population — live in federally designated mental health provider shortage areas. Rural counties are nearly three times more likely to lack psychologists than their urban counterparts, while youth suicide rates in rural areas run twice as high.
Emergency department visits for suicide attempts and self-harm more than tripled between 2015 and 2020, from 0.6% to over 2% of all visits, the Pew analysis found. Approximately half of hospitals have reported that insufficient staffing affects their capacity to provide suicide care interventions.
Within pediatric care, the research deficit is particularly acute. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. counties lack a single practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist, and only about half of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health conditions receive any treatment, according to published estimates.
Calls for Research Redirection
The BMC Health Services Research authors called for future scholarship to prioritize community-based pediatric care models, youth mental health support programs, and equity-driven interventions designed to reach medically or socially vulnerable patients in their homes.
The study’s framing reflects a broader policy shift already underway. Several states have launched targeted programs to address behavioral health workforce shortages. North Carolina has committed $20 million for a loan repayment initiative offering up to $50,000 per provider willing to work in high-need areas. Texas established a Mental Health Professional Pipeline Program in 2025, directing academic institutions to expand degree and licensure pathways for behavioral health practitioners.
The research community, the authors suggested, must follow with empirical models that test which care delivery approaches actually work for populations that home health agencies currently struggle to reach.
Why This Matters for Home Care
For the millions of families navigating at-home care for aging parents, spouses, or loved ones with complex needs, these research gaps translate directly into service gaps — fewer evidence-based protocols for identifying mental health needs, fewer trained providers available for home visits, and less guidance for caregivers managing high-risk conditions in residential settings. Families building out safe, supportive home care environments can find resources at SonderCare.
