Quality of life of elderly patients with leg ulcers

Abstract

Objectives: To identify compromised domains of the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) for elderly individuals with leg ulcers and correlate their clinical and sociodemographic variables with the SF-36's components. Method: Exploratory and cross-sectional study conducted with 50 elderly individuals with leg ulcers. The instruments were the sociodemographic and clinical form and the SF-36. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyze data. Results: Most were married, retired, and received one times the minimum wage, were Caucasians or of mixed race, and had hypertension. In regard to the SF-36, the most compromised domain was physical limitations, while social aspects and general health status were the less compromised domains. The SF-36 domains were not correlated with age, income, duration or size of the lesion or pain. Conclusion: The ulcer-related biopsychosocial aspects need to be considered in order to devise more effective nursing interventions.

Avaliação clínica de pacientes com úlceras de perna acompanhados em ambulatório

“…8,18 The predominance of lesions in the malleolar region is explained by the fact that the majority of leg ulcers present in this study are of venous etiology, which are predominantly located in the distal portion of the lower limbs, especially in the region of the medial malleolus. 4,8,11,13 The prolonged healing time is foreseen, due to the pathophysiology of chronic wounds and these results are similar to those of other studies, showing that most patients have leg ulcers for years, with or without recurrences. 5,11,[13][14][15] Regarding size, there is no consensus in the literature on the classification of ulcers as small, medium and large, with divergences between studies.…”

“…4,8,11,13 The prolonged healing time is foreseen, due to the pathophysiology of chronic wounds and these results are similar to those of other studies, showing that most patients have leg ulcers for years, with or without recurrences. 5,11,[13][14][15] Regarding size, there is no consensus in the literature on the classification of ulcers as small, medium and large, with divergences between studies. 13 As for the type of exudate, the predominance of the serous type is justified by the fact that venous ulcers, occurring in greater numbers in this study, present more commonly serous exudate and in small amounts, being findings compatible with data from other similar studies with chronic wounds.…”

“…15 The guidance provided by health professionals can be less easily understood by patients with less education, thus, educational actions must be adapted and directed in an individualized way, allowing the patient to understand and apply the guidelines in their routine. 11 The results of this research for the variables education and income are similar to other studies carried out with patients with chronic wounds and can be explained because the research fields belong to the public health network, presenting a clientele with lower income and less years of study. 3,5,16,17 These factors may be associated with a lifestyle that favors the appearance of ulcers, with difficulty in accessing specialized health services and inadequate injury management.…”

“…13 As for the type of exudate, the predominance of the serous type is justified by the fact that venous ulcers, occurring in greater numbers in this study, present more commonly serous exudate and in small amounts, being findings compatible with data from other similar studies with chronic wounds. 4,8,11 The characteristic of the tissue in the wound bed is an important indicator of the stage of healing achieved or of complications that may be present. 3,4 The results found show that most injuries had a favorable prognosis, with little or no necrosis area and Outpatients with leg ulcers Sergio FR, Silveira IA, Oliveira BGRB predominance of granulated tissue, characterized as the healing stage that precedes epithelialization.…”

Socioeconomic and clinical-epidemiological profile of people attended in an outpatient clinic for complex wounds

“…A predominância do estado civil casado entre os participantes se assemelha a estudo realizado com indivíduos com úlceras vasculogênicas, em que 50,0% eram casados ou possuíam união estável (7) . Destaca-se que muitos idosos com úlceras de perna são dependentes de outras pessoas para realizar as atividades diárias e trocar o curativo, o que fornece aos indivíduos casados segurança e apoio para o cuidado de si (8) .…”