title: Fuzzy logic model based on the differential nursing diagnosis of alterations in urinary elimination.
abstract: The nursing diagnoses associated with alterations in urinary elimination require different interventions, and nurses who are not specialists need support to diagnose and to manage patients with disturbances of urine elimination. The aim of this study was to present a model based on fuzzy logic for making differential diagnosis of alterations in urinary elimination, considering the nursing diagnosis approved by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA), 2001-2002. The fuzzy maximum-minimum composition was used to develop this model. It was tested with 195 cases from a database of a previous study. The model was able to determine the diagnosis in total accordance with a panel of three experts for 79.5% of the cases. The model diagnosed 19% of the cases with partial concordance with the panel of experts. Only for 3 cases (1.5%) the model showed a different diagnosis. It is concluded that the model proposed here, despite of its simplicity, presents good performance. However, it is recommended more tests before widely used as support for clinical decision.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Dept., Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, UNIFESP/FMUSP SP, Campinas, Brazil. mhbaena@fcm.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Maria Helena Baena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: de Moraes Lopes
authors.forename: Heimar de Fátima
authors.initials: Hde F
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: Neli Regina Siqueira
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Massad
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing