What is a Nursing Care Plan?
A nursing care plan (NCP) is a structured, professional document that outlines patient care. It’s a formal process where nurses pinpoint a patient’s current health needs and anticipate potential risks. Crucially, care plans act as a vital communication tool, ensuring seamless coordination between nurses, patients, and the wider healthcare team, all working towards agreed health goals. Without this systematic care planning approach, the consistency and quality of patient care would be significantly compromised.
The care planning journey begins the moment a patient is admitted and is a dynamic process. It’s continuously updated to reflect any changes in the patient’s condition and to track progress against set goals. This dedication to individualized, patient-centered care is the cornerstone of excellent nursing practice.
Types of Nursing Care Plans
Nursing care plans come in two main forms: informal and formal. An informal nursing care plan is more of a mental checklist, a strategy held in the nurse‘s mind. In contrast, a formal nursing care plan is a documented, either written or electronic, guide that meticulously organizes all aspects of a patient’s care.
Formal care plans are further divided into standardized and individualized types. Standardized care plans are designed for groups of patients with common needs. Individualized care plans, however, are specifically tailored to meet a patient’s unique requirements, addressing needs that standard plans might not cover.
Standardized Care Plans
Standardized care plans are pre-designed templates developed by nursing staff and healthcare organizations. Their purpose is to guarantee consistent care for patients with specific conditions. They establish a baseline of acceptable care standards and improve efficiency by removing the need to create repetitive care actions for many patients within a unit.
While standardized plans aren’t customized to individual patient needs, they serve as an excellent starting point for creating individualized care plans.
The care plans presented in this guide are examples of standard care plans, intended as frameworks for developing personalized patient care strategies.
Individualized Care Plans
An individualized care plan is created by adapting a standardized plan to fit the precise needs and goals of each patient. This involves using approaches known to be effective for that particular individual. This method promotes more personalized and holistic care, better aligned with the patient’s unique situation, strengths, and objectives.
Moreover, individualized care plans can significantly enhance patient satisfaction. When patients perceive their care as specifically designed for them, they feel more valued and understood, leading to greater satisfaction with their healthcare experience. This is especially important in today’s healthcare environment, where patient satisfaction is increasingly used as a key indicator of quality care.
Tips on how to individualize a nursing care plan:
Objectives
The key objectives of developing a nursing care plan are:
- To encourage evidence-based nursing practice and create a comfortable and familiar environment in healthcare settings.
- To support holistic care, addressing the patient as a whole person, including their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs, in both disease management and prevention.
- To establish structured care programs like care pathways and care bundles. Care pathways foster team consensus on care standards and desired outcomes, while care bundles focus on best practices for specific conditions.
- To clearly define goals and expected outcomes of care.
- To enhance communication and documentation of the entire care process.
- To provide a framework for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of nursing care.
Purposes of a Nursing Care Plan
Nursing care plans serve several crucial purposes, highlighting their importance in healthcare:
- Defines nurse’s role. Care plans clarify the distinct and independent role of nurses in addressing patients’ overall health and well-being, beyond simply following physician’s orders.
- Provides direction for individualized patient care. It acts as a detailed roadmap for patient care, guiding nurses to think critically and develop interventions specifically tailored to each individual.
- Ensures continuity of care. Care plans enable nurses across different shifts and departments to deliver consistent, high-quality interventions, maximizing the benefits of treatment for patients.
- Coordinates care. They guarantee that all members of the healthcare team are informed about the patient’s needs and the necessary actions, preventing gaps in care.
- Documentation. Care plans accurately document required observations, nursing actions, and instructions for the patient and family members. Proper documentation within the care plan serves as evidence that care was indeed provided.
- Guides staff assignment. In situations where patient needs require specific skills, care plans assist in assigning appropriate staff.
- Monitors progress. They facilitate tracking patient progress and making necessary adjustments to the care plan as health status and goals evolve.
- Supports reimbursement. Insurance providers utilize medical records, including care plans, to determine coverage and reimbursement for patient care.
- Defines patient goals. By involving patients in their care planning, it empowers them and improves understanding and adherence to treatment.
Components
A comprehensive nursing care plan (NCP) typically includes several key components: nursing diagnoses, patient problems, expected outcomes, nursing interventions, and rationales. Let’s explore each of these in more detail:
Care Plan Formats
Nursing care plans are often structured using different column formats, commonly organized into three, four, or five columns. The four-column format is widely used, typically including: (1) nursing diagnoses, (2) desired outcomes and goals, (3) nursing interventions, and (4) evaluation. Some institutions may use a three-column plan, combining goals and evaluation. Five-column plans often add a column for assessment cues.
Three-Column Format
The three-column format simplifies the care plan into nursing diagnoses, outcomes & evaluation, and interventions.
Example of a 3-column nursing care plan format, showing nursing diagnosis, outcomes/evaluation, and interventions.
Four-Column Format
This common format expands to include nursing diagnosis, goals & outcomes, interventions, and evaluation as separate columns.
Example of a 4-column nursing care plan template, detailing nursing diagnosis, goals/outcomes, interventions, and evaluation sections.
Below, you can find downloadable templates for various nursing care plan formats. Feel free to use and adapt these for your needs.
Download: Printable Nursing Care Plan Templates and Formats
Student Care Plans
Student care plans are typically more detailed and extensive than those used by practicing nurses. This is because they serve as a crucial learning tool for nursing students.
A student nursing care plan format example, demonstrating the increased detail required for educational purposes.
Often, student care plans are required to be handwritten and include an additional column for “Rationale” or “Scientific Explanation” after the nursing interventions. Rationales are the scientific principles that justify the selection of each nursing intervention.
Writing a Nursing Care Plan
So, how do you effectively write a nursing care plan (NCP)? Follow these steps to create a thorough and patient-centered plan.
Step 1: Data Collection or Assessment
The initial step in creating a nursing care plan is building a comprehensive patient database. This involves utilizing various assessment techniques and data collection methods, including physical assessments, health history interviews, reviews of medical records, and diagnostic studies. This database encompasses all relevant patient health information. During this stage, nurses identify related or risk factors and defining characteristics that are essential for formulating nursing diagnoses. Some institutions or nursing programs may have specific assessment formats to guide this process.
Critical thinking is paramount in patient assessment. It requires integrating knowledge from various sciences and professional guidelines to inform evaluations. This process, crucial for complex clinical decision-making, aims to effectively identify patient healthcare needs within a supportive environment and using reliable information.
Step 2: Data Analysis and Organization
Once you’ve gathered patient health information, the next step is to analyze, cluster, and organize this data. This structured analysis is crucial for formulating accurate nursing diagnoses, setting priorities, and defining desired outcomes.
Step 3: Formulating Your Nursing Diagnoses
Nursing diagnoses provide a standardized method for identifying, focusing on, and addressing specific patient needs and responses to both current and potential health issues. They are clinical judgments about individual, family, or community experiences/responses to actual or potential health problems and life processes. These diagnoses represent actual or potential health problems that nurses can independently prevent or resolve through nursing interventions. NANDA International (NANDA-I) plays a vital role in standardizing nursing diagnoses, providing a common language for nurses worldwide. Using NANDA diagnoses ensures clarity and consistency in care planning and communication.
For a detailed guide on formulating nursing diagnoses, refer to this resource: Nursing Diagnosis (NDx): Complete Guide and List. This guide emphasizes the use of NANDA nursing diagnosis in creating effective and standardized care plans.
Step 4: Setting Priorities
Prioritizing involves establishing an order for addressing nursing diagnoses and interventions. In this step, nurses collaborate with patients to determine which identified problems need immediate attention. Diagnoses can be categorized as high, medium, or low priority. Life-threatening issues always take precedence.
Nursing diagnoses, particularly when using a framework like NANDA, align with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, aiding in prioritizing and planning patient-centered care. Maslow’s hierarchy, developed in 1943 by Abraham Maslow, outlines fundamental human needs in a pyramid structure. Basic physiological needs must be met before higher-level needs, such as self-esteem and self-actualization, can be addressed. Physiological and safety needs are foundational for nursing care and interventions, forming the base of Maslow’s pyramid and essential for both physical and emotional well-being.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Basic Physiological Needs: These include essentials for survival: Nutrition (water and food), elimination, airway (management like suctioning), breathing (e.g., oxygen therapy), circulation (monitoring pulse, cardiac function, blood pressure), sleep, sex, shelter, and exercise.
- Safety and Security: This level focuses on protection and stability: Injury prevention (using side rails, call lights, practicing hand hygiene, implementing isolation protocols, suicide precautions, fall prevention measures, car seat safety, helmets, seat belts), fostering trust and safety (therapeutic relationships), and patient education on modifiable risk factors for conditions like stroke and heart disease.
- Love and Belonging: This level addresses social needs: Building supportive relationships, strategies to prevent social isolation (addressing issues like bullying), using active listening, therapeutic communication techniques, and addressing needs for sexual intimacy.
- Self-Esteem: This involves feelings of accomplishment and worth: Community acceptance, workplace recognition, personal achievements, a sense of control or empowerment, and positive self-perception regarding physical appearance.
- Self-Actualization: This is the highest level, focusing on personal growth and fulfillment: Creating empowering environments, supporting spiritual growth, developing the ability to see different perspectives, and reaching one’s full potential.
Virginia Henderson’s 14 Needs applied to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, illustrating how basic needs underpin higher-level psychological needs. Learn more about it here.
Patient values, beliefs, priorities, available resources, and the urgency of the situation are crucial factors nurses must consider when setting priorities. Involving patients in this process enhances their cooperation and commitment to the care plan.
Step 5: Establishing Client Goals and Desired Outcomes
After prioritizing nursing diagnoses, nurses and patients collaborate to set goals for each priority. Goals, or desired outcomes, describe the intended results of nursing interventions, derived from the patient’s nursing diagnoses. These goals guide intervention planning, provide criteria for evaluating patient progress, help both patient and nurse identify problem resolution, and offer motivation through a sense of accomplishment. When using NANDA diagnosis as a basis, goals should directly address the identified diagnostic label and its related factors.
Examples of well-formulated goals and desired outcomes in a nursing care plan, showing specific, measurable, and patient-focused objectives.
For each nursing diagnosis, one overarching goal is established. The terms “goal outcomes“ and “expected outcomes” are often used interchangeably.
According to Hamilton and Price (2013), effective goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-oriented.
- Specific. Goals must be clear, significant, and well-defined to be effective.
- Measurable or Meaningful. Measurability allows for progress tracking and determining when the goal is achieved.
- Attainable or Action-Oriented. Goals should be challenging yet achievable, remaining feasible within the patient’s context.
- Realistic or Results-Oriented. Focus on achieving effective and successful outcomes, considering available resources.
- Timely or Time-Oriented. Each goal needs a defined timeframe, creating a sense of urgency and focus.
Hogston (2011) suggests using the REEPIG standards to ensure high-quality care plans: Realistic, Explicitly stated, Evidence-based, Prioritized, Involve, and Goal-centered.
Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
Goals and expected outcomes must be measurable and patient-centered. They are designed to address problem prevention, resolution, and rehabilitation. Goals are classified as short-term or long-term. In acute care settings, most goals are short-term, focusing on immediate needs. Long-term goals are more common for patients with chronic conditions or those in long-term care facilities.
- Short-term goal. Describes a behavior change achievable quickly, usually within hours or days.
- Long-term goal. Indicates an objective to be achieved over a longer period, typically weeks or months.
- Discharge planning. Involves setting long-term goals to facilitate continued recovery and problem resolution through home healthcare, therapy, or other support services.
Components of Goals and Desired Outcomes
Goal and desired outcome statements typically include four components: a subject, a verb, conditions or modifiers, and a criterion of desired performance.
Breakdown of the components of effective goals and desired outcomes in a nursing care plan, including subject, verb, conditions, and criteria.
- Subject. Usually the patient, a part of the patient, or a patient attribute (e.g., pulse, temperature, urinary output). The subject is often implied to be the patient unless otherwise specified (e.g., family, significant other).
- Verb. Specifies the action the patient is expected to perform or experience.
- Conditions or modifiers. Describe the “what, when, where, or how” of the expected behavior, providing context.
- Criterion of desired performance. Indicates the standard for evaluating performance or the level of expected patient behavior. This is often optional but adds specificity.
When writing goals and desired outcomes, remember these tips:
- Frame goals and outcomes in terms of patient responses, not nurse activities. Start each goal with “Client will […]” to maintain patient focus.
- Focus on what the patient will achieve, not what the nurse hopes to do.
- Use observable and measurable terms for outcomes, avoiding vague language.
- Ensure outcomes are realistic given the patient’s resources, abilities, limitations, and the care timeframe.
- Verify goals are compatible with other healthcare professionals’ therapies.
- Ensure each goal directly relates to only one nursing diagnosis, derived perhaps from NANDA, for clear care evaluation.
- Confirm the patient values and considers the goals important to encourage cooperation.
Step 6: Selecting Nursing Interventions
Nursing interventions are the specific actions a nurse will perform to help patients achieve their goals. Interventions should aim to address the root cause or contributing factors of the prioritized nursing diagnosis, potentially a NANDA diagnosis. For risk diagnoses, interventions should focus on minimizing risk factors. While interventions are planned during this stage of the nursing process, they are actually carried out during the implementation phase.
Types of Nursing Interventions
Nursing interventions can be categorized as independent, dependent, or collaborative:
Classification of nursing interventions in a care plan: independent, dependent, and collaborative, each playing a distinct role in patient care.
- Independent nursing interventions are actions nurses are authorized to initiate based on their professional judgment and skills. These include ongoing assessments, emotional support, providing comfort, patient teaching, physical care, and referrals to other healthcare specialists.
- Dependent nursing interventions are carried out under physician’s orders or supervision. This includes administering medications, intravenous therapy, conducting diagnostic tests, treatments, and managing diet and activity levels. Nurses also assess patients and provide explanations when carrying out these orders.
- Collaborative interventions involve working with other healthcare team members like physicians, social workers, dietitians, and therapists. These actions are developed in consultation to incorporate diverse professional expertise.
Effective nursing interventions should be:
- Safe and suitable for the patient’s age, health status, and condition.
- Achievable given available resources and time.
- Aligned with the patient’s values, culture, and beliefs.
- Consistent with other therapies the patient is receiving.
- Based on established nursing knowledge, experience, and relevant scientific evidence.
When documenting nursing interventions, follow these guidelines:
- Date and sign the care plan. Dating is crucial for tracking, reviewing, and future planning. The nurse’s signature signifies accountability.
- Nursing interventions should be specific and clearly written, starting with an action verb indicating the expected nurse action. Action verbs should be precise, and qualifiers like how, when, where, frequency, and amount provide essential details. Examples: “Educate parents on temperature taking and when to report changes,” or “Assess urine color, amount, odor, and turbidity.”
- Use only institution-approved abbreviations to ensure clarity and avoid errors.
Step 7: Providing Rationale
Rationales, or scientific explanations, justify why each nursing intervention was selected for the NCP. These are particularly important in student care plans to link interventions to underlying pathophysiological and psychological principles. Rationales are not typically included in standard professional care plans but are invaluable for nursing education.
Example showing nursing interventions paired with their corresponding rationales, explaining the scientific basis for each action in the care plan.
Step 8: Evaluation
Evaluation is a continuous, planned process to assess patient progress toward goals and the effectiveness of the nursing care plan (NCP). This critical step in the nursing process determines whether interventions should be continued, modified, or discontinued. Evaluation informs necessary adjustments to optimize patient outcomes.
Step 9: Putting it on Paper
The patient’s care plan is formally documented according to institutional policies and becomes part of their permanent medical record, accessible to all care providers. Nursing programs often have specific care plan formats, typically following the nursing process steps systematically, often using a five-column layout for detailed planning.
Nursing Care Plan List
This section provides a comprehensive list of sample nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnoses for various health conditions, categorized for easy navigation. These examples often utilize NANDA nursing diagnoses to provide a standardized approach to care planning.
Basic Nursing and General Care Plans
General nursing care plan examples applicable across various settings:
| Basic Nursing & General Care Plans |
|---|
| Acute Confusion (Delirium) and Altered Mental Status |
| Acute Pain and Pain Management |
| Activity Intolerance and Generalized Weakness |
| Cancer (Oncology Nursing) |
| Caregiver Role Strain and Family Caregiver Support Systems |
| Chronic Confusion (Dementia) |
| End-of-Life Care (Hospice Care or Palliative) |
| Fall Risk and Fall Prevention |
| Fatigue and Lethargy |
| Geriatric Nursing (Older Adult) |
| Grieving and Loss |
| Hypothermia and Cold Injuries |
| Hyperthermia (Fever) |
| Impaired Swallowing (Dysphagia) |
| Insomnia and Sleep Deprivation |
| Prolonged Bed Rest |
| Risk for Injury and Patient Safety |
| Self-Care and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) |
| Surgery (Perioperative Client) |
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus |
| Total Parenteral Nutrition |
Surgery and Perioperative Care Plans
Care plans focused on patients undergoing surgical procedures:
| Surgery and Perioperative Care Plans |
|---|
| Amputation |
| Appendectomy |
| Cholecystectomy |
| Fracture UPDATED! |
| Hemorrhoids |
| Hysterectomy |
| Ileostomy & Colostomy |
| Laminectomy (Disc Surgery) |
| Mastectomy |
| Subtotal Gastrectomy |
| Surgery (Perioperative Client) |
| Thyroidectomy |
| Total Joint (Knee, Hip) Replacement |
Cardiac Care Plans
Nursing care plans addressing cardiovascular health issues:
| Cardiac Care Plans |
|---|
| Angina Pectoris (Coronary Artery Disease) |
| Cardiac Arrhythmia (Digitalis Toxicity) |
| Cardiac Catheterization |
| Cardiogenic Shock |
| Congenital Heart Disease |
| Decreased Cardiac Output & Cardiac Support |
| Heart Failure UPDATED! |
| Hypertension UPDATED! |
| Hypovolemic Shock |
| Impaired Tissue Perfusion & Ischemia |
| Myocardial Infarction |
| Pacemaker Therapy |
Endocrine and Metabolic Care Plans
Nursing care plans for endocrine and metabolic disorders:
| Endocrine and Metabolic Care Plans |
|---|
| Addison’s Disease |
| Cushing’s Disease |
| Diabetes Mellitus (Type 1, Type 2) UPDATED! |
| Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS) |
| Eating Disorders: Anorexia & Bulimia Nervosa |
| Fluid Volume Deficit (Dehydration & Hypovolemia) |
| Fluid Volume Excess (Hypervolemia) |
| Gestational Diabetes Mellitus |
| Hyperthyroidism |
| Hypothyroidism |
| Imbalanced Nutrition (Malnutrition) |
| Obesity & Overweight |
| Thyroidectomy |
| Unstable Blood Glucose Levels (Hyperglycemia & Hypoglycemia) |
| Acid-Base Imbalances |
|---|
| Metabolic Acidosis |
| Metabolic Alkalosis |
| Respiratory Acidosis |
| Respiratory Alkalosis |
| Electrolyte Imbalances |
|---|
| Calcium (Ca) Imbalances: Hypercalcemia and Hypocalcemia |
| Magnesium (Mg) Imbalances: Hypermagnesemia and Hypomagnesemia |
| Potassium (K) Imbalances: Hyperkalemia and Hypokalemia |
| Sodium (Na) Imbalances: Hypernatremia and Hyponatremia |
Gastrointestinal
Care plans for disorders of the digestive system:
| Gastrointestinal Care Plans |
|---|
| Appendectomy |
| Bowel Incontinence (Fecal Incontinence) |
| Cholecystectomy |
| Constipation |
| Diarrhea Nursing Care Plan and Management |
| Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis |
| Gastroenteritis |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) |
| Hemorrhoids |
| Hepatitis |
| Ileostomy & Colostomy |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) |
| Intussusception |
| Liver Cirrhosis |
| Nausea & Vomiting |
| Pancreatitis |
| Peritonitis |
| Peptic Ulcer Disease |
| Subtotal Gastrectomy |
| Umbilical and Inguinal Hernia |
Hematologic and Lymphatic
Care plans for blood and lymphatic system disorders:
| Hematologic & Lymphatic Care Plans |
|---|
| Anaphylactic Shock |
| Anemia UPDATED! |
| Aortic Aneurysm |
| Bleeding Risk & Hemophilia |
| Deep Vein Thrombosis |
| Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation |
| Hemophilia |
| Kawasaki Disease |
| Leukemia |
| Lymphoma |
| Sepsis and Septicemia |
| Sickle Cell Anemia Crisis |
Infectious Diseases
Care plans for communicable and infectious conditions:
| Infectious Diseases Care Plans |
|---|
| Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (HIV Positive) |
| Acute Rheumatic Fever |
| Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever |
| Herpes Zoster (Shingles) |
| Influenza (Flu) |
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis |
| Risk for Infection & Infection Control |
Integumentary
Care plans addressing skin and tissue health:
| Integumentary Care Plans |
|---|
| Burn Injury |
| Dermatitis |
| Herpes Zoster (Shingles) |
| Pressure Ulcer (Bedsores) |
| Wound Care and Skin/Tissue Integrity |
Maternal and Newborn Care Plans
Care plans for pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care:
| Maternal and Newborn Care Plans |
|---|
| Abortion (Termination of Pregnancy) |
| Cervical Insufficiency (Premature Dilation of the Cervix) |
| Cesarean Birth |
| Cleft Palate and Cleft Lip |
| Gestational Diabetes Mellitus |
| Hyperbilirubinemia (Jaundice) |
| Labor Stages, Induced, Augmented, Dysfunctional, Precipitous Labor |
| Neonatal Sepsis |
| Perinatal Loss (Miscarriage, Stillbirth) |
| Placental Abruption |
| Placenta Previa |
| Postpartum Hemorrhage |
| Postpartum Thrombophlebitis |
| Prenatal Hemorrhage |
| Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension |
| Prenatal Infection |
| Preterm Labor |
| Puerperal & Postpartum Infections |
| Substance (Alcohol and Drug) Abuse in Pregnancy |
Mental Health and Psychiatric
Care plans addressing mental and psychiatric health:
| Mental Health and Psychiatric Care Plans |
|---|
| Alcohol Withdrawal |
| Anxiety & Fear |
| Anxiety and Panic Disorders |
| Bipolar Disorders |
| Body Image Disturbance & Self-Esteem |
| Impaired Thought Processes & Cognitive Impairment |
| Major Depression |
| Personality Disorders |
| Schizophrenia |
| Sexual Assault |
| Substance Dependence and Abuse |
| Suicide Behaviors |
Musculoskeletal
Care plans for musculoskeletal system conditions:
| Musculoskeletal Care Plans |
|---|
| Amputation |
| Congenital Hip Dysplasia |
| Fracture UPDATED! |
| Impaired Physical Mobility & Immobility |
| Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Laminectomy (Disc Surgery) |
| Osteoarthritis |
| Osteogenic Sarcoma (Osteosarcoma) |
| Osteoporosis |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Scoliosis |
| Spinal Cord Injury |
| Total Joint (Knee, Hip) Replacement |
Neurological
Care plans for disorders of the nervous system:
| Neurological Care Plans |
|---|
| Alzheimer’s Disease UPDATED! |
| Brain Tumor |
| Cerebral Palsy |
| Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke) UPDATED! |
| Guillain-Barre Syndrome |
| Meningitis |
| Multiple Sclerosis |
| Parkinson’s Disease |
| Seizure Disorder |
| Spinal Cord Injury |
Ophthalmic
Care plans for eye-related conditions:
| Ophthalmic Care Plans |
|---|
| Cataracts |
| Glaucoma |
| Macular Degeneration |
Pediatric Nursing Care Plans
Care plans tailored for pediatric patients:
| Pediatric Nursing Care Plans |
|---|
| Child Abuse |
| Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate |
| Dying Child |
| Febrile Seizure |
| Hospitalized Child |
| Hydrocephalus |
| Otitis Media |
| Spina Bifida |
| Tonsillitis and Adenoiditis |
Reproductive
Care plans for reproductive and sexual health issues:
| Reproductive Care Plans |
|---|
| Cryptorchidism (Undescended Testes) |
| Hysterectomy |
| Hypospadias and Epispadias |
| Mastectomy |
| Menopause |
| Prostatectomy |
Respiratory
Care plans for respiratory system disorders:
| Respiratory Care Plans |
|---|
| Airway Clearance Therapy & Coughing |
| Apnea |
| Asthma UPDATED! |
| Aspiration Risk & Aspiration Pneumonia |
| Bronchiolitis UPDATED! |
| Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) UPDATED! |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) UPDATED! |
| Croup Syndrome |
| Cystic Fibrosis UPDATED! |
| Epiglottitis |
| Hemothorax and Pneumothorax UPDATED! |
| Ineffective Breathing Pattern (Dyspnea) |
| Impairment of Gas Exchange |
| Influenza (Flu) UPDATED! |
| Lung Cancer UPDATED! |
| Mechanical Ventilation |
| Near-Drowning |
| Pleural Effusion |
| Pneumonia |
| Pulmonary Embolism |
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis |
| Tracheostomy |
Urinary
Care plans for kidney and urinary tract disorders:
| Urinary Care Plans |
|---|
| Acute Glomerulonephritis |
| Acute Renal Failure |
| Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) |
| Chronic Renal Failure |
| Hemodialysis |
| Nephrotic Syndrome |
| Peritoneal Dialysis |
| Urolithiasis (Renal Calculi) |
| Urinary Elimination (Urinary Incontinence & Urinary Retention) |
| Urinary Tract Infection |
| Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) |
| Wilms Tumor (Nephroblastoma) |
Recommended Resources
Explore these recommended books and resources to deepen your understanding of nursing diagnoses and care planning. These resources are invaluable for both students and practicing nurses looking to refine their skills in using NANDA nursing diagnosis and creating effective care plans.
Disclosure: The following are affiliate links from Amazon. We may earn a small commission from purchases, at no extra cost to you. See our privacy policy for details.
Ackley and Ladwig’s Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care
This handbook is highly recommended for its evidence-based approach to nursing interventions. It offers a straightforward, three-step method for patient assessment, nursing diagnosis using NANDA, and care plan development. It provides step-by-step guidance on implementing care and evaluating outcomes, enhancing diagnostic reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition)
This comprehensive resource includes over 200 care plans reflecting current evidence-based guidelines. This edition features ICNP diagnoses, care plans addressing LGBTQ health, and expanded content on electrolytes and acid-base balance, making it an essential tool for contemporary nursing practice and understanding different diagnostic terminologies beyond NANDA.
Cover image of “Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition) E-Book”, highlighting its value for nursing students and professionals.
Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales
A quick, accessible reference tool for identifying accurate nursing diagnoses, essential for efficient care planning. The latest edition includes updated nursing diagnoses and interventions, with an alphabetized list covering over 400 disorders, facilitating rapid access to critical information.
Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care
This manual assists in planning, personalizing, and documenting care for over 800 conditions. It provides subjective and objective data for each diagnosis, sample clinical applications, prioritized interventions with rationales, documentation guidelines, and more, making it an indispensable resource for detailed care planning and utilizing NANDA effectively.
Cover image of “Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care”, showcasing its utility in detailed nursing care planning and diagnostic reference.
This resource offers over 100 care plans across medical-surgical, maternity, pediatric, and psychiatric-mental health settings. Its interprofessional “patient problems” approach helps users communicate effectively within healthcare teams, enhancing collaborative care planning and the application of NANDA diagnoses in diverse specialties.
References and Sources
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