NURSING DIAGNOSES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEMAND FOR CARE IN HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY PEOPLE

Objective: to identify nursing diagnoses representative of the care demand in hospitalized elderly and to investigate the association between such diagnoses and classification of care dependence. Method: a descriptive, epidemiological, cross-sectional study conducted with 112 hospitalized elderly. Data were collected using interviews and analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: the nursing diagnoses identified were: anxiety (94.6%), bathing self-care deficit (91.1%), impaired urinary elimination (75.9%), feeding self-care deficit (74.1%). impaired bed mobility (59.8%), risk of impaired skin integrity (47.3%), impaired physical mobility (33.9%) and impaired skin integrity (30.4%), and an association between most nursing diagnoses and care dependency classification. Conclusion: the identification of these diagnoses and the care demand of the hospitalized elderly population is of essential importance to support the effective practice of nursing.