Kidney transplant nursing: A comparison of care demand between scales

Abstract

Objective: To compare the number of hours of nursing care demand for patients in the postoperative period after kidney transplantation, using the Patient Classification System (SCP) and Nursing Activity Score (NAS) tools. Methods: a prospective cohort study. The population consisted of patients who underwent deceased donor kidney transplantation at PUCRS São Lucas Hospital. Assessment was carried out from 6 to 24 hours in the immediate postoperative period, on the days following discharge from the Surgical ICU and on the 15th postoperative day or on the day of discharge (whichever occurred first). Results: A total of 73 patients completed the study. The mean SCP in the first assessment was 31.6 (intermediate care), while in NAS the mean was 86.5% (intensive care). In the last assessment, the score found in the SCP was 15.5 (minimum care); In the NAS, the median was 50.1% (semi-intensive care). There were no significant differences when comparing the scores obtained at discharge from surgical ICU and discharge from hospital. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that there is a difference between the number of hours of postoperative kidney transplant care demand when compared to the SCP and NAS tools, and this affects the type of care.