Nursing diagnoses of burned patients and relatives' perceptions of patients' needs.

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to identify the nursing diagnoses of burn patients in the period 1 week before hospital discharge and to determine whether their relatives had similar perceptions of the patients' problems.

METHODS

A qualitative case study was conducted with 10 burn patients and 10 family members. One week before hospital discharge, the nursing diagnoses of the patients and the relatives' perceptions of the patients' were identified and compared.

FINDINGS

Thirty different diagnoses related to physical and psychosocial aspects were identified. The family members reported concerns mainly related to physical care, specifically wound care and prevention of infection, and psychosocial aspects, while patients were primarily concerned with the latter.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing diagnoses for these patients and their relatives' perceptions frequently overlapped; however, the emphasis of the families' attention was on the physical aspects.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Anticipating family members' perceptions about the patients' problems is important in order to promote strategies that will improve patient care after hospital discharge.