Nursing Need of Patients with Chronic Illness: A Primary Study for Development for the Nursing Center of Chronic Illness

PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the nursing needs of patients with chronic illness. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 636 patients with chronic illness, 323 general nurses, and 106 public health nurses. The instruments used for this study were questionnaires including perceived functions of nursing from the center for chronic illness, preference to placement, intention to use, needs to receive services from the center for chronic illness, strategies management for nursing, and nursing needs of chronically ill patients. RESULTS: The mean of perceived functions for nursing from the center were 3.1(0.5) in public health nurses, 2.9 (0.59) in general nurses, and 2.4(1.33) in chronically ill patients. Regards of needs to receive on services of the nursing centers were, the regularly physical examination, for health educational services which was perceived highest request amongst chronically ill patients. We found the means of each specific need as 2.2(0.6), for physical health, 2.1(0.7), for psychosocial health, and 1.8(0.6) for spiritual health. CONCLUSION: From the results of this study, it is suggested that establishing a nursing center for chronically ill patients consider physical, psychosocial, for spiritual health needs of chronically ill patients. It is also a consideration that direct care for symptom management and health education in the nursing center be implemented.