Status of self-care in elderly patients of a Havana medical office

Abstract

Introduction: self-care in the elderly is essential because, as people get older, they are more likely to experience health complications. Objective: to characterize the status of self-care in elderly patients in a medical office. Method: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in the population of the Family Medical Office 7 of the Raúl Gómez García Polyclinic, in the municipality of 10 de Octubre, from September 2021 to September 2022. The universe was made up of 72 patients and it was studied in its entirety. A descriptive analysis was made. Results: an equitable distribution was observed in terms of the number of patients by sex (n = 36; 50 % for each one). Both for men (n = 19; 52,8 %) and for women (n = 18; 50 %), partial self-care deficits predominated. The highest number of patients with a partial self-care deficit (n = 15; 60 %) was found in the 71-80-year-old group, while the highest percentage of patients with total deficit was found in the 81-year-old or older group (n = 5; 31,3 %). Among those who perceived themselves as unhealthy (n = 25; 34,7 %), total deficit predominated (n = 11; 15,3 %). Among independent patients (n = 51; 70,8 %), partial self-care deficit was more frequent (n = 24; 33,3 %). Conclusions: the population was characterized by partially deficient self-care.