General condition

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The term general condition (abbreviation: AZ ) describes the general physical, mental and emotional state of a patient and the effect on his everyday life . The assessment of the general condition takes place during the admission interview and is part of the medical examination as well as the care history . Areas of observation for assessment are appearance, cognitive abilities , communication and mobility as well as activity. On the basis of the individual criteria, the ability for self-sufficiency can be determined. The result of the evaluation is divided into good, slightly reduced, reduced and greatly reduced (instead of "poor" ) AZ.

Since it is a largely subjective assessment, it must always be viewed in connection with age and the current situation. Acute complaints are more likely to affect general well-being than restrictions that have existed for a long time, as the person affected has usually developed appropriate coping strategies .

Observation areas

Appearance

Part of the appearance

  • the physical condition (constitution), which results from the nutritional status , the condition and the texture and color of the skin
  • the degree of implementation of personal hygiene
  • the type and appropriateness of clothing in terms of condition, cleanliness, season

Cognitive abilities

Awareness and orientation, mood, thinking and participation

communication

Communication skills; Speech, hearing and eyesight

mobility

Ability to move and walk

WHO scale of activity

According to the evaluation table of the WHO scale (also Karnofsky index , Zubrod score or ECOG) there are five levels of activity:

  • Grade 0: The patient is able to carry out all normal activities without restrictions
  • Grade 1: The patient is limited in physically demanding activities, but mobile and able to do light work
  • Grade 2: patient is mobile and can provide for themselves, but do any work that more than 50% of waking hours constitute
  • Grade 3: The patient is only able to take care of himself to a limited extent; he spends more than 50% of the waking hours lying down or sitting
  • Grade 4: The patient is completely disabled, cannot take care of himself and is fixed in place or bedridden

literature

  • DA Karnofsky, JH Burchenal: The Clinical Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents in Cancer. In: MacLeod CM (Ed.): Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents. Columbia Univ. Press 1949: 196.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ MM Oken et al .: Toxicity and response criteria of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. American Journal of Clinical Oncology Vol. 5 (6) 1982, pp. 649-55