Adaptation With the Chronic Disease and Expectations from Nurses

Objective: This study has been made to determine physical, social, and psychological adaptation levels and general adaptation levels of patients with chronic diseases who are under medical treatment at the hospital and to evaluate their expectations from nurses within the course of the said process. Materials and Methods: This study is definitive and cross sectional. The sample of the research is composed of 240 patients who have been under inpatient medical treatment in internal diseases clinics in between March and May 2018. Data were collected with a Personal Information form and an Adaptation to Chronic Illness Scale (ACIS). Results: As a result of the statistical analysis, the adaptation of the patients, included in the scope of the study, to the disease was determined to be 83.03 +/- 10.58. The social adaptation level of women, physical adaptation level of high school and university graduates, general adaptation, physical adaptation, and social adaptation levels of individuals who have never stayed at hospital, psychological adaptation level of individuals who had information related to their disease, and physical adaptation level of individuals with normal body mass index (BMI) were determined to be at higher statistically significant levels (p<0.05, p<0.01). Conclusion: In conclusion, the gender, level of education, experience of hospital stays, information status related to his/ her disease, BMI, medical diagnosis, and expectation models of nurses were determined to affect adaptation to the chronic disease to an important extent, from physical, social, and psychological aspects.