Written by Mei Ling
Published 16 October 2026 | Last updated -
Who we are: Home Care Apps Team
Quick answer: After hospital discharge, a registered home nurse visits to do clinical tasks your doctor has advised, such as wound dressing, medicines or injections, catheter care and vital-sign checks. The nurse works to your doctor's plan, and the family still help with bathing and meals. Facts checked October 2026.
Key points
- What a home nurse does: clinical tasks your doctor advises.
- Home nursing is not a "nursing home", which is a care home.
- Family still do daily care between visits.
- Your discharge papers list the warning signs to watch.
- Insurance cover depends on your policy wording.
What is post-discharge home nursing?
Post-discharge home nursing, also called post-surgery nursing care at home, means a nurse visits you after a hospital stay to carry out care your doctor has advised. It is not a "nursing home", which is a residential care home. Prudential Malaysia says home nursing is "a professional healthcare service delivered in a patient's home" (Prudential Malaysia, November 2024). Assunta Hospital offers home care for people leaving hospital and says "continuity of care is often necessary for discharged patients" (Assunta Hospital). The MediAsas pilot FAQ calls the matching insurance benefit "Post-Hospitalisation Home Nursing Care" (BNM FAQ, Appendix I, item 13).
Ask any provider to confirm that the nurse is registered. The Ministry of Health's Nursing Division says the Annual Practising Certificate (APC) is issued to registered nurses so they can practise nursing in Malaysia (MOH Nursing Division).
What does a home nurse do after hospital discharge?
A home nurse does the clinical tasks your doctor has advised, and the most common are wound care, giving medicines, catheter care and checking vital signs. Our home nurse services are listed with "from" prices, excluding SST, as published on our home page on 16 October 2026:
- Wound dressing: wound assessment, irrigation and dressing change, with infection monitoring. From RM160, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Medication administration (oral and injection): with compliance monitoring and patient education. From RM127, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Catheter care: urinary catheter insertion, maintenance, bag change and urinary tract infection (UTI) monitoring. From RM191, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Post-discharge monitoring: vital signs assessment. From RM200, 60 to 90 minutes.
- IV therapy: standard peripheral only, no central line. From RM250, 60 to 90 minutes.
Independent pages list similar tasks. Prudential Malaysia gives "wound dressing, catheterisation, or IV therapy" as examples, and Assunta Hospital lists simple wound care, urinary catheter changes and medication administration. See our guides to wound dressing at home and injections or an IV drip at home.
What does the family still do?
A nurse visits for set periods, so the family does the rest between visits. Ask the nurse to show you any task you are expected to do.
| Area | The nurse | The family |
|---|---|---|
| Wound | Assesses and redresses the wound, and checks for signs of infection | Follow the written instructions and report any change |
| Medicines | Gives injections or oral medicines as prescribed and checks they are taken | Give other doses as labelled and keep the medicine list current |
| Catheter | Inserts or maintains the catheter and changes the bag | Report any change to the nurse or doctor |
| Monitoring | Checks vital signs during the visit | Note how the person is between visits and keep follow-up appointments |
| Daily care | Not provided: Home Care Apps sends registered nurses only | Bathing, meals, toileting and moving around: family or a caregiver |
For the daily care row, read nurse, caregiver or maid: which does my parent need?
What does a typical visit look like?
A typical visit follows these steps, though your provider will explain its own process and the order can change:
- Enquiry. You describe the situation. Home Care Apps says its team replies within one working day to confirm availability in your area, and a booking is not confirmed until the team follows up. See our services page for current terms.
- Preparation. Have the discharge summary, the medicine list and your doctor's instructions ready, with a clean place for the nurse to work.
- Check. The nurse assesses, for example the wound and the vital signs.
- Task. The nurse does the task, such as the dressing change, injection or catheter care. Listed visits run 20 to 90 minutes, depending on the service.
- Teaching. The nurse explains what to watch for and what the family should do.
- Report. Home Care Apps provides a post-visit clinical report that families can keep or submit with an insurance claim. Whether a claim is paid depends on the policy.
When should I call the doctor or go to hospital?
Follow the warning signs on your own discharge papers first, and call your doctor or hospital if something changes. A home nurse visit is not an emergency service. Two UK hospital leaflets show the kind of signs to watch for after an operation:
- Increased swelling and redness around the wound, blood or pus leaking from it, and feeling feverish with a high temperature (Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, 2019).
- A wound that opens, or feeling generally unwell or feverish, with advice to contact your doctor or a GP straight away (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, reviewed May 2025).
The Wolverhampton leaflet also lists chest pain, shortness of breath and painful or swollen calves, and says that in an emergency you must attend the nearest emergency department. These are UK examples, not Malaysian rules, so use your own hospital's list. Tell the nurse about any change at a visit; your doctor decides on treatment.
Who can get home nursing after discharge, and is it covered?
Your doctor or hospital team decides whether home nursing suits you, and what insurance pays depends on your policy. The Ministry of Health also offers home-based care called Perkhidmatan Perawatan Domisiliari (PPD) for stable bedridden patients who need continuing care at home after leaving hospital, with a referral from a hospital or health clinic (malaysia.gov.my).
For private insurance, the MediAsas pilot FAQ lists a home nursing benefit "as charged", up to RM3,000 a year and a maximum of 90 days per lifetime, and excludes private nursing outside that benefit (Appendix I, item 13, and exclusion 15). The FAQ does not say how the 90 days are counted or whether a doctor's letter is needed, so ask your insurer. Read does MediAsas cover home nursing after discharge? and does my medical card cover a nurse at home?
What to do next
- Ask your doctor or ward nurse which tasks need a nurse and which the family can do.
- Ask for the warning signs for your operation, in writing.
- Check your policy wording and ask your insurer about home nursing before the first visit.
- Not sure what level of care you need? Try the free care assessment or send us an enquiry.
FAQ
What does a home nurse do after surgery or hospital discharge?
A home nurse does clinical tasks your doctor has advised, such as wound dressing, giving medicines or injections, catheter care and checking vital signs. The nurse also explains what the family should watch for. Your doctor decides what is needed.
What is home nursing?
Home nursing is care by a nurse in your own home, following your doctor's advice. After a hospital stay it is called post-discharge home nursing. It lets care continue outside the hospital.
Is home nursing the same as a nursing home?
No. Home nursing means a nurse visits you at home. A nursing home is a residential care home where people live, so the two terms are easy to mix up when searching.
Who can get home nursing after hospital?
Your doctor or hospital team decides whether it suits you. The Ministry of Health offers home-based care (PPD) for stable bedridden patients with a referral, and private providers such as Home Care Apps arrange nurse visits, subject to availability.
Is home nursing covered by insurance?
It depends on your policy. The MediAsas pilot FAQ lists a home nursing benefit of up to RM3,000 a year and 90 days per lifetime, but the insurer decides each claim. Ask your insurer before the first visit.
How we can help
Home Care Apps arranges registered nurse home visits across Peninsular Malaysia, subject to nurse availability in your area, for services such as wound dressing, medication administration, catheter care and post-discharge monitoring. Tell us what your doctor has advised and we will confirm availability; we are a nursing provider, not an insurer, and whether a claim is paid depends on your policy. Send an enquiry, try the free care assessment or read about our services.
Sources
- Home Care Apps, home page (services, "from" prices excluding SST, durations, post-visit clinical report), page read 16 October 2026. Link.
- Home Care Apps, services page, page read 16 October 2026. Link.
- Bank Negara Malaysia, MediAsas Frequently Asked Questions, Version 1: Pilot Programme, 29 July 2026. PDF. Appendix I (item 13) and exclusion 15.
- Prudential Malaysia, "Home Nursing Care in Malaysia: Understanding Services and Insurance Coverage Options", 4 November 2024. Link.
- Assunta Hospital, "Home Care Services" (undated), page read 16 October 2026. Link.
- Ministry of Health Malaysia, via malaysia.gov.my, "Perkhidmatan Penjagaan Pesakit OKU Terlantar oleh KKM" (page footer: last updated 15 September 2026), page read 16 October 2026. Link.
- Ministry of Health Malaysia, Nursing Division, "Registration and APC" (page footer: last updated 23 July 2026), page read 16 October 2026. Link.
- Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, "Discharge information for post-operative patients and their relatives" (Day Case Surgery), produced 2019, review date 28 September 2026. PDF.
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, "Surgical wounds and preventing infections", last reviewed May 2025. Link.
Note
This is general information, not medical, financial or legal advice, and Home Care Apps is a home nursing provider, not an insurer, takaful operator or insurance agent.