Feelings of powerlessness in patients with leg ulcers

To evaluate feelings of powerlessness in individuals with leg ulcers. This is an exploratory, descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional study. The participants were 100 patients with diabetes mellitus presenting with foot ulceration and 100 individuals with venous ulcers. All received care at the Ambulatory injury clinic for Plastic Surgery of the Federal University of São Paulo, and the Ambulatory injury clinic of the Hospital Complex in the interior of State of São Paulo.   Data were collected in the period comprising May 2010 to August 2012, after approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Paulo, Protocol No.0383/10. The researchers themselves collected the data, after the patients had signed the Term of Free and Informed Consent.  Two instruments were used to collect the research data: a questionnaire that the instrument for Measuring Feelings of Powerlessness. The Mann-Whitney test was used for analysis. For all the statistical tests, the level of significance of 5% (p<0.05) was considered. Sixty-two percent of diabetic patients with leg ulcer presented a total score of 51 to 60 points and in 12 patients (12%) the score ranged between 41 and 50 points. Whereas in the group of patients with venous ulcer, 43% presented a total score of 51 to 60 points and in 23 patients (23%) the score ranged between 41 and 50 points. The mean total score measured by the instrument for Measuring the Feeling of Powerlessness was 55 in diabetic individuals with leg ulcers and the mean in patients with venous ulcers was 45.50. The results obtained in this study suggest that in both diabetic patients with leg ulcers and those who present venous ulcers, have a feeling of powerless in their daily lives,  related to the wound and the consequent discomfort it causes.