This research is based on a survey of elderly patients visiting public health centers, clinics and hospitals for medical treatment to determine their characteristics and analyse their nursing needs and factors involved in satisfying these needs in close reference to health care considerations.
1. General characteristics.
Among those surveyed, about 50 percent had been widowed and 59.6 percent lived in households of three to six family members while 44.8 percent shared the homes of married sons.
Interestingly enough, of the three categories of medical institutions, hospital patients expressed by far the greatest concern about their physical condition, with 63.2 percent acknowledging the poor state of their health.
2. Home Nursing Needs.
Among the 41.2 percent of the subjects who voiced the need for home nursing, the largest portion of 60.8 percent simply wanted extra comfort.
Meanwhile, 53.7 percent expressed their need for mental support, 38.2 percent physical activities and security, 36.7 percent general metabolism and 11.7 percent general hygiene.
3. Analysis on Factors Involved in Meeting Needs for Nursing.
In general, the survey indicated that limitations on physical activities had a significant effect on the varying degree of needs for nursing.
Particularly, the use of physical aid and medication, availability of home care giver, difficulties in chewing and swallowing, preference for the type of medical treatment facility when suffering from illnesses and whether or not patients are accompanied to medical centers evidently play important roles in determining respective nursing needs.
On the other hand, experience of hospitalization, knowledge on methods of taking medication and the effects of adiministering such medication, dietary expertise and sickness among family members had little influence on the needs for nursing.
4. Analysis on Relationships Between the Complaints of Symptoms and the Nursing Needs.
In addition, ANOVA results showed that apart from the need for comfort, there was significant correlation between suffering from illnesses and patients need for nursing.
5. Analysis on Factors Affecting Health Care Needs.
Through the survey, it became apparent that the preference for medical institutions for treatment when suffering from illnesses, presence of accompanying personnel to medical centers, and knowledge on dietary methods and effects of taking medication are closely associated with the choice of medical institutions, level of education, financial support for the household and living conditions.
In Korea, there is rapid increase in the population of elderly citizens, there is a growing urgency for the development of a more sophisticated industry for general health care as well as home nursing.
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