A CONCEPTUAL LANDMARK FOR NURSING PRACTICE TO PATIENTS SUFFERINGFROM CHRONIC DISEASES IN THE LIGHT OF WANDA DE AGUIAR HORTA’S THEORY

Abstract

Thisisa descriptivestudy,qualitativeinnature,heldatateachinghospitalinCuritiba/Brazil,whoseobjectivewastoconstructa conceptual landmark for the nursing practice to patients with chronic disease. It was carried out during the nursing practice experience, asubject in the master’s degree course of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), in the second semester of 2006. Two assistant nursesparticipated in the study. For data collection, a semi-structured interview was applied and recorded.After the transcription of the answers, thecontent was presented in a meeting with all the professionals for the construction of the concepts of human being, nursing, health-illness andenvironment. Still in this phase, the theoretical reference, that is, the “Basic Human Necessities”, was compared to the definitions conceivedby the nurses. During the meeting, it was possible for the nurses to deepen the concepts and principles ofWanda deAguiar Horta’s theory andalsoconcludetheconstructionoftheconceptuallandmark.Duringitsconstruction,itwasconcludedthatitcouldbeappliedtocareofpatientswith chronic illness. It was noticed that the conceptual model of the Basic Human Necessities Theory somewhat has been empirically used,however in a systematic way from then on

Keywords

• Nursing theory
• Chronic disease