A comparative study of nursing evaluation methods in cirrhosis

Abstract

Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are the most complicated and high mortality rate disease in the world. Complicity of chronic liver disease and special treatment regimen are a challenge that requires good nursing skills to maintain safe healthcare and support patients quality of life. Assessing patients' health status by using a standard assessment list approved by the Minister of Health’s Order could not gather sufficient information about complicated patients. Therefore, to develop the “Nursing assessment list for patients with cirrhosis” and to compare with the currently using standard assessment list was the aim of this research. We conducted a descriptive study. Assessing patients' health status by using the standard list was difficult to extract special features because of its attribute that gathering too many fields and some gastroenterological signs remained. Using a nursing assessment list for patients with cirrhosis gave us the opportunity to see classic signs of cirrhosis and dynamic change of patients' health status directly. For strengthening nursing care we need to develop and use more nursing assessment lists for each common disease that requires special healthcare.