CARE AND HEALTH MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A CASE STUDY FOCUSED ON SELF-CARE AND PATIENT SAFETY

Abstract

This study analyzes nursing care strategies for patients with schizophrenia, focusing on self-care and patient safety. It is grounded in Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, exploring the application of wholly compensatory, partially compensatory, and supportive-educative nursing systems in clinical practice. This descriptive case study adopts a qualitative approach and was conducted in a psychiatric inpatient unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected through systematic observation, medical record analysis, and family interviews. The findings show that the systematic application of the nursing process reduces the risk of self-harm, improves treatment adherence, and promotes the progressive recovery of patient functionality. It is concluded that nurses play a key role as care managers, mediating between psychological suffering and autonomy, using clinical surveillance as a tool for psychosocial rehabilitation and safe community reintegration.