Prevalent nursing diagnoses and interventions in the hospitalized elder care.

OBJECTIVES to identify the prevalent nursing diagnoses (ND) in the hospitalized elder care; to compare the prevalent ND with the duration of hospital stay and with the prescribed cares for their respective diagnoses. METHOD Transversal historical study carried through in Porto Alegre, RS, by analyzing patient records age e60 years old, interned in clinical unities of a university hospital. RESULTS 1665 records were analyzed; the four prevalent NANDA nursing diagnoses--within 62 identified ones--were: Self-Care Deficit--Bathing/Hygiene, Imbalanced Nutrition--Less than Body Requirements, Risk for Infection and Ineffective Breathing Patterns, varying from 14 to 17 days of hospital stay. THE MAIN CARES WERE: aiding bed bath, communicating diet acceptance, implementing routines of care in venous puncture and checking respiratory pattern. CONCLUSION four prevalent ND were identified with the appropriate prescribed care. However, other care could have been established as a priority.