Objective: to measure the prevalence of frailty syndrome in elderly inpatients in a hospital institution. Methods: cross-sectional study using a sample of 99 subjects aged 65 or older, Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem 2013 July-Aug.;21(4):891-8.

No abstract

Objective: to estimate the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia in hospitalized elders, related to socio-demographic variables, nutritional status and length of stay. Methods: crosscutting study with 200 patients hospitalized in a large hospital in the South of Brazil during three months. Evaluations, lab tests and interviews through questionnaires were performed. Results: the average albuminemia was 2,9 ± 0,5g/dL. Hypoalbuminemia was diagnosed in 173 subjects (87%) and was absent in 27 (13%) that have normal albuminemia (p=0,000). After six days of hospitalization, the prevalence of low levels grew significantly to 90% (p=0,002), average 2,7 ± 0,5g/dL. Using the Mini Nutritional Assessment, it was observed that 41 patients were malnourished and from those, 40 had hypoalbuminemia. Conclusion: the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia proved to be high, in approx. nine in ten elders, and the nutritional status and the length of stay proved to be related to the decrease of serum albumin levels. Thus, it is suggested that monitoring albumin levels should be done to evaluate the risk that the patient has to develop malnutrition and other complications during hospital stays.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of nursing professionals about the patient's privacy hospitalized in the ICU and their implications. This qualitative study based on content analysis revealed the following categories: Exposing the patients' body and intimacy: the professionals' attitudes and actions; intimacy: difficulties experienced by the professionals and the patients' reactions; the lack of intimacy protection of the patient: contradictions that arise from the practice. The results point to the need for professionals to rethink their achievements in relation to the protection of the patient's privacy, by means of acts/attitudes which provide security in care actions. Privacy preservation is the patient's right and the professional's ethical commitment, giving to people dignity in the care process in the ICU.

In our hematologic patients, the CVC complications were mainly septic, with only 10.1% of CVC-related bacteriemias, despite prolonged catheterization duration. Acute leukemia patients were at major risk for sepsis, probably due to a more severe neutropenia and prolonged catheterization duration.

There has been an increase of chronic diseases with the subsequent need for care and hospitalization, due to the acceleration of the elderly demographic growth. The objective of the present paper is to reflect on the care of nursing and the autonomy of the human being under the condition of elderly hospitalization. Nursing professionals, caring in the hospital ambient, can contribute significantly for the construction of the elderly autonomy and participation on the decision making about their need for attention or health care. The ethics redeeming, under a worthy aging perspective, permeates several discussions in the aging society and, specifically, among health professionals who act in hospital institutions.

No abstract