Self-Care Deficits in Adolescents with Thalassemia:Qualitative Study

This exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was aimed to investigate the requirements of self-care in the health deviations associated with thalassemia in adolescents based on the theoretical framework of Orem; to identify nursing diagnoses in self-care deficits with the support of the International Classification for Nursing Practice and to develop interventions with the adolescent in order to identify deficits in the self-care requirements. A semi-structured interview was applied with 10 adolescents, aged between eight to 13 years, from September to November 2013. The deficits were found in the universal self-care requirement, for developmental self-care, self-care health deviations. Diagnoses were formulated, such as risk for nutritional deficit, ineffective management of therapeutic regimen and deficient health knowledge. The study showed that it is difficult for the adolescent to live with the alterations required by the disease. As the adolescent is not completely capable of responding to the healthcare process, their caregivers need to assume the condition of self-care therapeutic agents.