Nursing diagnoses for the elderly using the International Classification for Nursing Practice and the activities of living model1

Objective: To develop nursing diagnosis statements for the elderly based on the Activities of Living Model and on the International Classification for Nursing Practice. Method: Descriptive and exploratory study, put in practice in two stages: 1) collection of terms and concepts that are considered clinically and culturally relevant for nursing care delivered to the elderly, in order to develop a database of terms and 2) development of nursing diagnosis statements for the elderly in primary health care, based on the guidelines of the International Council of Nurses and on the database of terms for nursing practice involving the elderly. Results: 414 terms were identified and submitted to the content validation process, with the participation of ten nursing experts, which resulted in 263 validated terms. These terms were submitted to cross mapping with the terms of the International Classification for Nursing Practice, resulting in the identification of 115 listed terms and 148 non-listed terms, which constituted the database of terms, from which 127 nursing diagnosis statements were prepared and classified into factors that affect the performance of the elderly’s activities of living – 69 into biological factors, 19 into psychological, 31 into sociocultural, five into environmental, and three into political-economic factors. Conclusions: After clinical validation, these statements can serve as a guide for nursing consultations with elderly patients, without ignoring clinical experience, critical thinking and decision-making.