Úlcera de perna

: impacto na qualidade de vida dos utentes da UCSP de Alenquer

Abstract

CONTEXTUALIZATION: Leg ulcers cause several changes in the lifestyle of their bearers. They are extremely incapacitating and originate an excessive consumption of healthcare system's resources, due to a long healing process. This becomes a true challenge for the healthcare professionals that deal with this type of patients. The need to understand the changes caused by this illness is a reality nurses don't distance themselves from. In the present study, we deal with nursing processes aimed at the well-being and quality of life of patients with leg ulcers. METHODOLOGY: We did a qualitative descriptive exploratory study, with phenomenological characteristics, to a sample of 12 participants. The data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and the posterior application of the Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule. To treat and analyze the data obtained we adopted the methodology proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994), which can be described as an interactive model based on three stages: data reduction, presentation and interpretation of the conclusions. RESULTS: We adopted the present content analysis, in order to get the information we sought. From this analysis we emphasize four categories: "Daily life Limitations", "Pain Associated with the Wound", "Emotional Changes" and "Hope vs Disappointment". It is easier to understand the quality of life of the patient, connected to the presence of a leg ulcer, and specifying the experiences associated with these wounds thanks to these categories. In the Cardiff Schedule, we noticed a clear reduction in quality of life, especially in the domain of "Well-Being". CONCLUSION: The results obtained allow us to conclude that the leg ulcer restricts daily life activities; increases unbearable pain; it's an ambivalent generator of feelings; has repercussions in the psycho-emotional domain, especially in what concerns body image and self-esteem; it is seen as a long process with an unpredictable outcome. By comparing the results obtained, either by the interviews or by the Cardiff Schedule, we concluded that leg ulcers present significant changes in the quality of life of the bearers.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Américo Nunes Peres (Supervisor) & Maria Teresa Magalhães, (Co-Supervisor)