Self-Care Behavior Assessment of Fragile School-Age Children: An Application of Orem's Self-Care Framework

INTRODUCTION: Fragile children who were once called; “terminal cases” nowadays are able to live, due to technical advances; although they are requiring permanent assistance. This study aimed to identify the levels of self-care behavior of school-age medically fragile Jordanian children.

METHODS & MATERIAL: A cross-sectional design using Orem self-care behavior questionnaire to measure the level of self-care behavior of 96 medically fragile children in capital city (Amman), who hospitalized at least once at the affiliated hospitals.

RESULT: 63. 3%, n=61 children had high level of self-care behavior with overall mean = 62.3 SD=20. ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc comparisons of the three groups indicate that the level of self care behavior at the late school age 12-14 years old (mean = 71.56, SD = 4.71) and the early school age 6-9 years (mean = 67.05, SD = 4.73) reported significantly higher than the middle school age 10-12 years old (mean 66.95, SD = 4.37), p = .001. A round half of the children complaining of respiratory disease 42.7%, n=41.

CONCLUSION: Performing nursing interventions and providing proper discharge plans for school age children and home care for medically fragile children will be based according to the self-care behavior level.