Dorothy Orem
Dorothea orem
Dorothea Orem explains Universal Self-Care Requisites as all the things that are need by individuals, at all stages of life, to be able to care for ones self. Orem uses the self-care requisites as a basis for assessment the nursing process. To state it in an easy way to understand, she takes all the elements that need to be right for an individual to function wholly and independently and then works backward, identifying self-care deficits. Each component of the assessment is broken up into two parts, the health habits and the review of systems.
Air is the first of the self-care requisites. The assessment of air involves more than just the respiratory function. Orem believes that the inadequate air supply will result in the appearance of the skin, hair and nails. Obviously, the respiratory and cardiac function will need to be physically assessed but Orem wants you to think about how air effects the entire well-being of an individual. This is when the nurse should assess the patient’s lab values, such as CBC, Hgb and Hct since these labs reflect circulatory oxygenation of the patient. Does the patient have a history of smoking or asthma? This would be a good time to ask these questions.
Water is the next of the self-care requisites. The nurse would assess for a fluid overload or deficit. Skin turgor, edema, lung sound would be all part of the physical assessment for any deficits. Does the patient have a history of CHF or urinary retention? Has the patient had any significant weight gain or loss that was not planned? Important questions to ask while assessing water self-care requisites.
Food is another self-care requisite that Orem recognizes. The examiner would assess dietary needs, obesity, and malnutrition. A significant weight loss or gain is important. It is vital to obtain a dietary history, is it healthy or poor? Many times economic status has a lot to do with dietary habits. A physical examine would include the abdomen, bowel habits,...
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