Self-care dependency assessment: an exploratory study of the phenomenon in community

The assessment of the dependent person's self-care ability, through measurement instruments, and the assessment of the level and kind of dependency, may provide nurses a more assertive method for understand the nature of the problems that affect dependency and for establish an action plan tailored to the development of new practices centered on the dependent person, looking forward to promote autonomy. Within this context, and in order to develop nursing practice in self-care dependency context, this paper serves the goal of the characterization of dependent people in self-care in a community context and the analysis of the different domains of self-care according to sociodemographic and clinical variables. It was used the non-probabilistic sampling method, of the accidental type and for data collection was used the reduced version of the Self-Care Dependency Assessment Form. The results found show that women and the elderly are more dependent, and that the dependence settles mainly gradually. Regarding the level of dependence by self-care domain, the one that registered the highest level of dependence was self-care "taking medication", followed by "dressing and undressing" and self-care "taking a bath". The "global level of dependence" has an average of 2.64 and a standard deviation of 0.83, which reveals high degrees of dependence on self-care. With current demographic changes and consequent health needs and their implications for health policy preparation and planning, the measurement and evaluation of the dependent person and their caregiver is becoming increasingly essential, enabling a holistic and adjusted approach.