Avaliação da condição de saúde dos indivíduos dependentes no autocuidado inseridos no seio das famílias clássicas do concelho do Porto

Abstract

The research presented in this dissertation is situated in the area of the evaluation of health status on self-care dependent individuals. Addressing the issue health condition, should be noted the changes in the field of self-care as well as the commitment of body processes. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the health condition, in terms of nursing, of individuals dependent on self-care, inserted in classic families in the municipality of Porto. The methodology adopted is based on a study of quantitative profile, of exploratory and descriptive type. As method of data collection was used a form, drawn up from scratch by the research team, based on a literature review, and its implementation was carried out “door to door”, in a single moment, between July and September of 2009. The sample was defined using a probabilistic approach, randomized and stratified by community areas. The survey was made to 2445 families, and there were identified 241 which had people with dependency on self-care at their homes. Of those, 157 agreed to participate in the study. The results show that the dependents in self-care are generally elderly people, mostly women and widows. Regarding the level of dependency on self-care, results showed high levels of dependency, and the way the dependency settled, in the vast majority, was gradual. Aging was found as the main cause of dependency. Meeting with the main purpose of this research − the health condition of dependent people − it was possible to verify that the main commitments evidenced by dependents were within the scope of the commitments of the joint movement, memory and orientation. The occurrence of falls also had meaning. The analysis of the results points out the need for more research studies on the dimension of health condition in self-care dependents, which could contribute to the increasing of the quality of care.

Date of Award	Aug 2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Filipe Pereira (Supervisor) & Paulo Parente (Co-Supervisor)