OBJECTIVES: To compare nursing care needs and therapeutic interventions of elderly and non-elderly patients admitted to an ICU. METHODS: The sample consisted of 50 adult patients from a university hospital in the district of São Paulo. Data were collect with the Nursing Activity Scale (NAS) from September 26, 2003. The NAS was applied daily, from the time of admission to and discharge from the ICU, with a total of 339 measurements. Patients with 60 years of age or older were considered elderly patients. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: The mean age of the patient sample was 70 years and the most frequent type of treatment was clinical (78.0%). The mean stay was 3.5 days and the mortality rate was 38.0%. The mean score for NAS was 66.57% (+ 9.15) and remained above the 60.0% mark for the entire period analyzed. No difference was observed between the mean NAS scores for elderly (66.44%) and nonelderly (66.33%) patients. And, there was no difference between the therapeutic interventions carried out in the two groups of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results show the need for further discussion about the criteria for admission in ICU regarding the ethical, social, and economic implications of intensive care.
Nursing care; Therapeutic; Intensive care unit; Intensive care; Aged; Needs assessment
