Atitude do idoso face à dependência no autocuidado para andar, após tratamento cirúrgico por fractura de extremidade proximal do fémur

Abstract

In this study we proposed to answer the following research problem: "What is the attitude of the elderly who are dependent on self-care for walking after surgery for fracture of the proximal femur?" With the main aim of describing the attitude the in relation to situation (dependence on self-care for walking). In this context, we have structured this work, an exploratory-descriptive level I, in three distinct phases: conceptual, methodological and empirical. In the conceptual phase of the problem we conducted the problem of this study and the grounds of the concepts in the field of scientific research, with the goal to provide references for sustained interpretation of the results. In methodological phase, the sample was defined, based on the non-probability accidental sampling, composed by ten participants: people over 65 years old, conscious, capable of coherent verbal response; fracture of the proximal femur, underwent surgery for fracture of the proximal femur. As data collection technique, we used semi-structured interview, consisting of closed questions, which characterized the participants in the study and open and guided questions in order to describe the attitude of the elderly whoa are dependent on self-care for walking. The data analysis techniques of the variable under study were used content analysis and analysis of evaluative assertion, based on Bardin (2008) and Vala (2009). In the analysis of the collected data we present the coding of the variable under study, in the: cognitive, affective and behaviour categories (Neto, 1998). The empirical phase, included the presentation of the analysis of collected data and the coding of the variable under study, in the cognitive, affective and behaviour categories. We identified 200 units of enumeration, of which 97 (48.5%) were included in the affective category, 58 (29.0%) in the cognitive category and 45 (22.5%) in the category behaviour. The result of encoding the variable under study, obtained by evaluative assertion analysis, was 0.95 points on a scale of favouritism / no favouritism of seven points [-3 to +3]. This corresponds to an attitude which tends to be favorable and / or positive in a degree of intensity of about one point Considering that we didn’t find any research studies within this subject allowing the comparison of our results, we conclude that there is a need to develop more research in this area. Notwithstanding the results of this study, we believe that they may constitute an improvement to the delivery of nursing care for the elderly and thus provide them with better quality of life.

Date of Award	Sept 2011
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Élvio Jesus (Supervisor), Maria Teresa de Ornelas e Vasconcelos (Co-Supervisor) & A. Morna Freitas (Co-Supervisor)