Crafting effective medical-surgical nursing care plans is a cornerstone of quality patient care. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to developing comprehensive care plans, essential for both nursing students and practicing professionals. We offer an in-depth look at the components, objectives, and purposes of nursing care plans, ensuring you have the knowledge to excel in patient-centered care.
Understanding Nursing Care Plans in Medical-Surgical Settings
A nursing care plan (NCP) is a structured, dynamic tool used to identify a patient’s healthcare needs, potential risks, and desired outcomes. In medical-surgical nursing, where patient conditions can be complex and varied, NCPs are vital for ensuring consistent and high-quality care. These plans facilitate clear communication among nurses, patients, and the interdisciplinary healthcare team, promoting a collaborative approach to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Without meticulous care planning, the consistency and quality of patient care can be significantly compromised.
The process of medical-surgical nursing care planning begins upon patient admission and is continuously refined based on the patient’s evolving condition and the ongoing evaluation of goal achievement. This dynamic and patient-centered approach is fundamental to excellence in nursing practice, especially within the demanding environment of medical-surgical units.
Types of Nursing Care Plans in Medical-Surgical Nursing
Nursing care plans in medical-surgical settings, like in other areas of nursing, can be categorized as informal or formal. An informal nursing care plan is a mental strategy, a nurse’s internal roadmap for care. Conversely, a formal nursing care plan is a documented, structured guide, either written or electronic, that organizes patient care information for the entire healthcare team.
Formal care plans are further divided into standardized and individualized types. Standardized care plans outline nursing care for patients with common, recurring needs within medical-surgical units. Individualized care plans are specifically tailored to address a patient’s unique medical-surgical needs, especially those not adequately covered by standardized plans.
Standardized Care Plans in Medical-Surgical Practice
Standardized care plans in medical-surgical nursing are pre-established guidelines developed by experienced nursing staff and healthcare agencies. They ensure that patients with specific medical or surgical conditions receive consistent, evidence-based care. These plans are designed to meet minimum acceptable care standards and improve efficiency by streamlining routine tasks.
It’s crucial to remember that standardized care plans are general guides. They are not designed to meet every specific patient’s needs and goals. However, they serve as an excellent starting point for creating individualized care plans, adaptable to the nuances of each patient’s medical-surgical situation.
The care plans discussed in this guide are primarily standardized care plans, intended as frameworks to guide the development of individualized plans in medical-surgical nursing.
Individualized Care Plans for Medical-Surgical Patients
An individualized care plan is paramount in medical-surgical nursing. It involves adapting a standardized plan to meet the unique medical, surgical, and personal needs of each patient. This approach utilizes interventions proven effective for the patient’s specific condition and circumstances. Individualized care plans promote more personalized and holistic care, considering the patient’s medical diagnosis, surgical history, emotional state, and personal goals.
Individualized care plans are also strongly linked to improved patient satisfaction. When medical-surgical patients feel their care is specifically designed for them, they are more likely to feel understood and valued, leading to greater satisfaction. In today’s healthcare environment, patient satisfaction is a critical metric of quality, particularly in complex medical-surgical settings.
Tips for Individualizing Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans:
- Thoroughly assess the patient’s medical history, current surgical status, and specific needs related to their medical or surgical condition.
- Incorporate the patient’s preferences, values, and cultural background into the plan.
- Collaborate with the patient and their family to set realistic and achievable goals.
- Regularly review and adjust the care plan based on the patient’s response to treatment and changing medical-surgical needs.
- Consider potential complications related to the patient’s medical or surgical diagnosis and include preventive interventions.
Objectives of Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
The primary goals of developing medical-surgical nursing care plans are multifaceted:
- To promote evidence-based nursing care within the medical-surgical context, ensuring patients receive the most effective and current treatments and interventions.
- To foster holistic care by addressing the patient’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs throughout their medical and surgical journey. This is especially crucial in medical-surgical nursing, where patients often face significant physical and emotional challenges.
- To establish structured care approaches like care pathways and care bundles, which standardize best practices for specific medical-surgical conditions, enhancing team coordination and outcome consistency.
- To clearly define goals and expected outcomes that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), guiding the direction of care and providing benchmarks for progress.
- To improve communication and ensure comprehensive documentation of the care plan, making patient information accessible and understandable to all members of the healthcare team.
- To provide a framework for measuring nursing care quality and effectiveness, allowing for continuous improvement in medical-surgical nursing practice.
Purposes of Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
Medical-surgical nursing care plans serve several critical purposes, all contributing to enhanced patient care and professional accountability:
- Defining the Nurse’s Role: NCPs highlight the unique and independent role of the medical-surgical nurse in addressing patients’ overall health and recovery, beyond simply following physician orders.
- Providing Direction for Individualized Care: They serve as a detailed roadmap for patient care, enabling nurses to apply critical thinking to tailor interventions to each patient’s specific medical and surgical needs.
- Ensuring Continuity of Care: NCPs facilitate consistent, high-quality care across different nursing shifts and departments, crucial in the 24/7 medical-surgical environment. This consistency ensures patients receive maximum benefit from their treatment regimen.
- Coordinating Care: NCPs ensure all members of the healthcare team are informed of the patient’s needs and planned actions, preventing gaps and overlaps in care delivery.
- Documentation: A well-written NCP accurately documents observations, nursing actions, and patient/family education provided. If care is not documented in the NCP, there is no record of it being delivered, which has legal and professional implications.
- Guiding Staff Assignments: NCPs can help in assigning medical-surgical nurses with specific skills to patients with complex or specialized needs.
- Monitoring Progress: NCPs provide a framework to track patient progress systematically, enabling timely adjustments to the care plan as the patient’s condition evolves.
- Supporting Reimbursement: Insurance companies often use medical records, including NCPs, to determine coverage and reimbursement for hospital care.
- Defining Patient Goals: NCPs actively involve patients in their treatment and recovery process, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration.
Components of a Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plan
A typical medical-surgical nursing care plan includes several key components, each essential for providing structured and effective care: nursing diagnoses, patient problems, expected outcomes, nursing interventions, and rationales. These components are detailed below:
Care Plan Formats in Medical-Surgical Nursing
Medical-surgical nursing care plans can be formatted in various ways, often organized into columns for clarity and ease of use. Common formats include three-column and four-column plans. Some agencies may also use five-column plans that include assessment cues.
Three-Column Format
The three-column format is a simplified approach, including columns for: 1) Nursing Diagnosis, 2) Outcomes and Evaluation, and 3) Interventions. This format is concise and focuses on the essential elements of the care plan.
Image alt text: Example of a three-column nursing care plan format, showing columns for nursing diagnosis, outcomes and evaluation, and interventions.
Four-Column Format
The four-column format provides a more detailed structure, with columns for: 1) Nursing Diagnosis, 2) Goals and Outcomes, 3) Interventions, and 4) Evaluation. This format allows for a clearer separation of goals from evaluation criteria.
Image alt text: Example of a four-column nursing care plan template, showing columns for nursing diagnosis, goals and outcomes, interventions, and evaluation.
For practical application, templates for different nursing care plan formats are readily available.
Download: Printable Nursing Care Plan Templates and Formats
Student Care Plans in Medical-Surgical Nursing Education
Student care plans in medical-surgical nursing are typically more extensive and detailed than those used by practicing nurses. They serve as crucial learning tools, helping students develop critical thinking and care planning skills.
Image alt text: Example of a student nursing care plan format, highlighting the detailed nature required for learning and skill development.
Often, student care plans are handwritten and include an additional column for “Rationale” or “Scientific Explanation” after the nursing interventions. Rationales are essential for students as they connect the scientific basis to nursing actions, reinforcing their understanding of evidence-based practice.
Writing a Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating a robust medical-surgical nursing care plan involves a systematic approach. Follow these steps to ensure your care plans are comprehensive and patient-centered.
Step 1: Patient Data Collection and Assessment
The initial step in formulating a medical-surgical nursing care plan is thorough data collection and patient assessment. This involves using various techniques and methods, including physical assessments, reviewing health history, conducting patient interviews, examining medical records, and analyzing diagnostic studies. The collected data forms a comprehensive patient database, encompassing all relevant health information. This step is crucial for identifying related or risk factors and defining characteristics that will inform the nursing diagnosis. Many healthcare facilities and nursing schools provide specific assessment formats to guide this process.
Critical thinking is paramount in patient assessment. It involves integrating knowledge from various scientific disciplines and professional guidelines to inform clinical judgments. This process is vital for complex clinical decision-making in medical-surgical nursing, aiming to accurately identify patient healthcare needs within a supportive and information-rich environment.
Step 2: Data Analysis and Organization
Once patient data is collected, the next step is data analysis and organization. This involves critically examining the information, identifying patterns, clustering related data, and organizing it logically. This analysis is essential for formulating accurate nursing diagnoses, setting priorities, and defining desired patient outcomes.
Step 3: Formulating Nursing Diagnoses
Nursing diagnoses are standardized statements that describe a patient’s health problems or risks that nurses are qualified and licensed to treat independently. In medical-surgical nursing, diagnoses focus on patient responses to actual or potential health issues arising from medical conditions or surgical procedures. These diagnoses provide a common language for nurses and other healthcare providers to communicate about patient needs.
For a detailed guide on formulating nursing diagnoses, refer to resources like: Nursing Diagnosis (NDx): Complete Guide and List.
Step 4: Prioritizing Nursing Diagnoses
Setting priorities is crucial in medical-surgical nursing, where patients often present with multiple health issues. This step involves establishing a preferential order for addressing nursing diagnoses and interventions. Nurses, in collaboration with patients, determine which problems require immediate attention. Diagnoses are often categorized as high, medium, or low priority, with life-threatening issues always taking precedence.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a valuable framework for prioritizing nursing diagnoses. This theory, developed by Abraham Maslow, organizes human needs into a pyramid, starting with basic physiological needs at the bottom and progressing to self-actualization at the top. In medical-surgical nursing, physiological and safety needs are typically the highest priorities.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Medical-Surgical Nursing:
- Basic Physiological Needs: These are the most fundamental needs for survival, including respiration (oxygen administration), circulation (managing blood pressure, cardiac monitoring), nutrition (hydration and feeding), elimination (bowel and bladder function), sleep, pain management, and maintaining body temperature.
- Safety and Security Needs: Involve ensuring patient safety and security in the medical-surgical environment. This includes injury prevention (using side rails, ensuring call lights are accessible), infection control (hand hygiene, isolation precautions), preventing falls, patient identification, and creating a safe and trusting environment (therapeutic relationship).
- Love and Belonging Needs: Addressing the patient’s psychosocial needs by fostering supportive relationships, preventing social isolation, promoting communication, and providing emotional support.
- Self-Esteem Needs: Supporting the patient’s sense of self-worth and dignity, acknowledging their achievements, and promoting independence within their medical-surgical limitations.
- Self-Actualization Needs: Focusing on helping patients reach their full potential, promoting spiritual growth, and empowering them in their healthcare journey.
Image alt text: Diagram illustrating Virginia Henderson’s 14 Needs applied to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, showing the integration of fundamental nursing principles with human needs theory.
Patient values, beliefs, available resources, and the urgency of the situation are all factors that medical-surgical nurses must consider when prioritizing diagnoses. Involving the patient in this process enhances their cooperation and engagement in their care.
Step 5: Establishing Patient Goals and Desired Outcomes
After prioritizing nursing diagnoses, medical-surgical nurses collaborate with patients to set goals and desired outcomes for each diagnosis. Goals describe the intended changes in patient health status or behavior as a result of nursing care. They provide direction for nursing interventions and serve as criteria for evaluating patient progress. Well-defined goals motivate both the patient and the nursing team by providing a sense of accomplishment.
Image alt text: Examples of well-written goals and desired outcomes in a nursing care plan, demonstrating specific, measurable, and patient-centered objectives.
Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-oriented.
- Specific: Goals should be clearly defined and unambiguous.
- Measurable: Progress towards goals should be quantifiable and trackable.
- Attainable: Goals should be achievable given the patient’s capabilities and resources.
- Realistic: Goals should be relevant to the patient’s situation and overall care plan.
- Time-oriented: Goals should have a defined timeframe for achievement.
REEPIG standards further enhance goal setting, ensuring care is:
- Realistic: Achievable with available resources.
- Explicitly stated: Clearly and precisely defined.
- Evidence-based: Supported by research and best practices.
- Prioritized: Addressing the most urgent needs first.
- Involve: Including the patient and multidisciplinary team.
- Goal-centered: Directly contributing to goal achievement.
Short-Term and Long-Term Goals in Medical-Surgical Nursing
Goals can be classified as short-term or long-term. In acute medical-surgical settings, short-term goals are often prioritized due to the immediate nature of patient needs. Long-term goals are more relevant for patients with chronic conditions or those transitioning to home or extended care facilities.
- Short-term goals: Describe changes achievable in a short period, such as hours or days.
- Long-term goals: Represent objectives to be achieved over weeks or months and are crucial for discharge planning, promoting ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.
Components of Effective Goals and Desired Outcomes
Well-formulated goals and desired outcomes typically have four components:
Image alt text: Breakdown of the components of well-defined goals and desired outcomes in a nursing care plan, including subject, verb, conditions/modifiers, and criterion of performance.
- Subject: Usually the patient, or a specific aspect of the patient’s condition.
- Verb: An action verb describing the desired patient behavior or status.
- Conditions or Modifiers: Contextual details specifying how, when, where, or why the behavior will occur.
- Criterion of Desired Performance: Measurable standards for evaluating goal achievement.
Tips for Writing Effective Goals and Outcomes:
- Frame goals in terms of patient responses, not nursing actions. Start with “Patient will…”
- Focus on what the patient will achieve, not what the nurse hopes to do.
- Use observable and measurable terms. Avoid vague language.
- Ensure outcomes are realistic given patient resources and timeframes.
- Align goals with other healthcare professionals’ therapies.
- Each goal should correspond to a single nursing diagnosis.
- Involve the patient in goal setting to ensure relevance and motivation.
Step 6: Selecting Nursing Interventions
Nursing interventions are specific actions that medical-surgical nurses perform to help patients achieve their goals. Interventions should directly address the etiology of the nursing diagnosis. For risk diagnoses, interventions focus on reducing risk factors. Interventions are planned during the care planning stage but are implemented during the implementation phase of the nursing process.
Types of Nursing Interventions in Medical-Surgical Care
Nursing interventions can be categorized as independent, dependent, or collaborative:
Image alt text: Diagram illustrating the types of nursing interventions in a care plan: independent, dependent, and collaborative, with examples of each.
- Independent Nursing Interventions: Actions nurses are licensed to initiate based on their professional judgment. Examples include patient education, emotional support, comfort measures, ongoing assessment, and referrals.
- Dependent Nursing Interventions: Actions carried out under physician orders. These include medication administration, intravenous therapy, specific treatments, and diagnostic tests. Nurses are responsible for assessment and patient education related to these orders.
- Collaborative Interventions: Actions implemented in conjunction with other healthcare team members, such as physicians, therapists, dietitians, and social workers. These interventions require interprofessional consultation and coordination.
Effective Nursing Interventions Should Be:
- Safe and appropriate for the patient’s age, medical condition, and overall health status.
- Achievable with available resources and within realistic timeframes.
- Consistent with the patient’s values, cultural background, and beliefs.
- Compatible with other planned therapies.
- Based on nursing knowledge, experience, and relevant scientific principles.
Tips for Writing Nursing Interventions:
- Date and sign the care plan to ensure accountability and track plan development.
- Interventions should be specific and clearly stated, starting with an action verb (e.g., “Assess,” “Educate,” “Administer”). Include qualifiers specifying how, when, where, and how often the intervention should be performed. For example: “Monitor vital signs every 4 hours” or “Educate patient on postoperative wound care.”
- Use only approved abbreviations as per institutional policy.
Step 7: Providing Rationales for Interventions
Rationales are scientific explanations that justify the selection of specific nursing interventions. They explain why an intervention is expected to be effective in achieving the desired outcome.
Image alt text: Example of nursing interventions and their corresponding rationales in a care plan, demonstrating the scientific basis for nursing actions.
Rationales are particularly important in student care plans as they reinforce the link between nursing actions and underlying scientific principles. While not always included in practicing nurses’ care plans, understanding the rationale behind each intervention is crucial for evidence-based practice.
Step 8: Evaluation of the Care Plan
Evaluation is an ongoing, planned process to assess the patient’s progress toward achieving goals and the effectiveness of the nursing care plan. It is a critical phase of the nursing process because it determines whether interventions should be continued, modified, or discontinued. Evaluation involves collecting data related to outcome achievement, comparing data to desired outcomes, drawing conclusions about problem status, and modifying the care plan as needed.
Step 9: Documenting the Care Plan
The final step is to document the patient’s care plan according to institutional policy. The NCP becomes a part of the patient’s permanent medical record and serves as a communication tool for the healthcare team. Different nursing programs and healthcare facilities may have specific care plan formats, but most are designed to systematically guide nurses through the steps of the nursing process.
Comprehensive List of Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
This section provides a categorized list of sample nursing care plans (NCPs) and nursing diagnoses relevant to various medical-surgical conditions.
Basic and General Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
These general care plans are applicable across various medical-surgical patient populations.
| 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 |
Surgical and Perioperative Nursing Care Plans
These care plans are specific to patients undergoing surgical interventions.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
Care plans focused on cardiovascular conditions common in medical-surgical units.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
NCPs for endocrine and metabolic disorders frequently encountered in medical-surgical nursing.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans addressing digestive system disorders in medical-surgical patients.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans for blood and lymphatic system disorders in medical-surgical patients.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
NCPs for managing infectious diseases in medical-surgical settings.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans for skin and tissue disorders in medical-surgical nursing.
| Integumentary Care Plans |
|---|
| Burn Injury |
| Dermatitis |
| Herpes Zoster (Shingles) |
| Pressure Ulcer (Bedsores) |
| Wound Care and Skin/Tissue Integrity |
Musculoskeletal Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans for musculoskeletal conditions in medical-surgical patients.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
NCPs for nervous system disorders in medical-surgical nursing.
| 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 |
Respiratory Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans for respiratory system disorders in medical-surgical patients.
| 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 Medical-Surgical Care Plans
Care plans for kidney and urinary system disorders in medical-surgical nursing.
| 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 for Medical-Surgical Nursing Care Plans
To further enhance your understanding and skills in developing medical-surgical nursing care plans, consider these recommended resources:
Disclosure: Affiliate links from Amazon are included below at no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission from purchases. For more details, please see our privacy policy.
Ackley and Ladwig’s Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care
This handbook is invaluable due to its evidence-based approach to nursing interventions. It provides a clear, three-step system for client assessment, nursing diagnosis, and care planning, enhancing diagnostic reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition)
This comprehensive resource features over 200 care plans reflecting the latest evidence-based guidelines, including new sections on ICNP diagnoses, LGBTQ health issues, and electrolyte and acid-base balance.
Image alt text: Cover image of the “Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition)” book, a recommended resource for nursing care plan development.
Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales
A quick and efficient reference tool for identifying correct diagnoses and planning patient care. The latest edition includes updated nursing diagnoses and interventions, covering over 400 disorders in an alphabetized format.
Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care
This manual is essential for planning, individualizing, and documenting care for over 800 diseases and disorders. It offers subjective and objective data, sample clinical applications, prioritized interventions with rationales, and comprehensive documentation sections for each diagnosis.
Image alt text: Cover image of the “Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care” book, a key resource for detailed nursing diagnosis and care planning.
All-in-One Nursing Care Planning Resource – E-Book: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, and Psychiatric-Mental Health
This resource includes over 100 care plans across medical-surgical, maternity, pediatric, and psychiatric-mental health settings. It uses interprofessional “patient problems” to enhance patient communication skills.
