Complex health problems. Clinically assessing self-management abilities

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Assessment
• Self-Care Theory

Background:

• Effective post-hospitalization care relies on accurate assessment of patient self-care abilities by nurses.
• Existing assessment tools may not be sufficiently comprehensive or practical for busy clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a practical and comprehensive assessment instrument for evaluating patient self-care abilities.
• To utilize Orem's self-care deficit framework in instrument development.

Main Methods:

• Development of a Self-Management Inventory.
• Grounded in Orem's theory of self-care deficits (universal, developmental, therapeutic).

Main Results:

• A Self-Management Inventory was developed.
• The inventory is based on Orem's established self-care deficit categories.

Conclusions:

• The Self-Management Inventory offers a structured approach to assessing patient self-care.
• This tool supports nurses in planning post-hospitalization care by addressing universal, developmental, and therapeutic self-care deficits.