Purpose: To identify and describe nursing diagnoses, their related factors, and defining characteristics, in hospitalized leukemia patients and to categorize these nursing diagnoses within Functional Health Patterns.
Methods: Content analysis of 15 nursing records and interviews with 7 oncology nurses working on a hematology/oncology ward in a University hospital in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Findings: In the leukemia population, 47 nursing diagnoses with their associated characteristics were identified and classified within 10 Functional Health Patterns. Most of the nursing diagnoses were related to the Nutritional-Metabolic, the Cognitive-Perceptual, Activity-Exercise, the Role-Relationship, and the Coping-Stress-Tolerance patterns.
Conclusions: Results describe the nursing care needs of patients with leukemia. Since the study used a small sample, results should be interpreted with caution. Further research is recommended.