The application of Dorothea Orem's Theory of Caring in the care of patients with chronic diseases
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v4i4.503Keywords:
Self-Care Deficit Theory; Self-Care; Chronic Diseases; Nursing; Systematic Review.Abstract
Introduction: Chronic diseases demand models that integrate autonomy and continuity; Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory offers an operational framework to strengthen agency. Objective: To synthesize the evidence on Orem-based interventions in chronic conditions. Methods: Systematic review according to PRISMA in PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO; period 2017 to 2025; selection by two reviewers; narrative synthesis due to heterogeneity; final corpus of fifteen studies. Results: Personalized support and education systems with deficit assessment, shared goals, and reinforcement predominate; consistent improvements were observed in self-care behaviors, self-efficacy, and quality of life; adherence increased in several contexts, and functional benefits were described; clinical settings included: hemodialysis, hypertension, heart failure, oncology, asthma, cystic fibrosis, stroke, knee osteoarthritis, diabetes, and home care; fidelity of implementation emerged as a modulator of the effect. Limitations: inconsistent description of educational dosage and follow-up; lack of meta-analysis due to the diversity of measures. Conclusion: Orem's theory is applicable and useful for chronic conditions; multicenter studies with long-term follow-up and standardized reporting are recommended to strengthen its integration as a standard of practice.
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