Nursing care plans are the cornerstone of effective patient care. For nursing students and practicing professionals alike, understanding and creating comprehensive care plans is a critical skill. This guide will walk you through the essential elements of nursing care plans, emphasizing the importance of accurate nursing diagnoses and interventions. To further support your learning and practice, we’ll also highlight valuable ebook resources focusing on nursing diagnosis and intervention PDFs that can enhance your care planning skills.
What is a Nursing Care Plan?
A nursing care plan (NCP) serves as a formal, structured approach to patient care. It meticulously identifies a patient’s current health needs and anticipates potential risks. These plans are vital for fostering clear communication among nurses, patients, and the broader healthcare team, ensuring everyone is aligned towards achieving optimal healthcare outcomes. Without a robust care planning process, the consistency and quality of patient care would be significantly compromised.
The process of nursing care planning initiates upon a patient’s admission and remains a dynamic, evolving document. It is continuously updated to reflect changes in the patient’s condition and is evaluated against the achievement of set healthcare goals. This dedication to planning and delivering individualized, patient-centered care is fundamental to excellence in nursing practice.
Types of Nursing Care Plans
Nursing care plans can be broadly categorized as informal or formal:
- Informal Nursing Care Plan: This is an action strategy existing primarily in the nurse‘s mind. It’s a mental roadmap for care, often based on experience and immediate patient needs.
- Formal Nursing Care Plan: This type is a documented guide, either written or digital, that systematically organizes all relevant patient care information. Formal plans ensure consistency and comprehensiveness in care delivery.
Formal care plans are further distinguished as standardized or individualized:
- Standardized Care Plans: These are pre-designed plans outlining nursing care for patients with common, recurring needs. They are designed for efficiency and to ensure a minimum standard of care for typical conditions.
- Individualized Care Plans: These plans are specifically tailored to meet a patient’s unique needs, particularly those not adequately covered by standardized plans. They allow for a more personalized and responsive approach to care.
Standardized Care Plans
Standardized care plans are developed by nursing staff and healthcare organizations to guarantee consistent care for patients with specific conditions. They serve as a benchmark for acceptable care standards and optimize nurses’ time by eliminating the need to repeatedly create plans for common patient needs within a unit.
While standardized care plans offer a solid foundation, they are not designed to address every patient’s specific needs and goals. They are often used as a starting point for developing a more detailed individualized care plan.
The care plans discussed in this guide primarily align with standardized care plans, offering a framework for constructing individualized plans.
Individualized Care Plans
An individualized care plan involves adapting a standardized plan to precisely match the unique requirements and objectives of each patient. This includes incorporating approaches known to be effective for the individual. This personalized method promotes more holistic care, taking into account the patient’s specific needs, strengths, and goals.
Moreover, individualized care plans can significantly enhance patient satisfaction. When patients perceive their care as being specifically designed for them, they feel more valued and understood, leading to greater satisfaction with their overall healthcare experience. This is especially crucial 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: (This section from the original article was very brief and didn’t offer concrete tips. To enhance this section, I would typically add actionable advice, but adhering to the prompt, I will maintain the structure and move to the next section.)
Objectives of Nursing Care Plans
Writing nursing care plans serves several critical objectives:
- Promote Evidence-Based Nursing Care: To deliver care grounded in the latest research and best practices, ensuring consistent and high-quality patient experiences in healthcare settings.
- Support Holistic Care: To address the patient as a whole person, encompassing their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs in the management and prevention of illness.
- Establish Care Programs: To develop structured care pathways and bundles that streamline care delivery and ensure adherence to standards and expected outcomes through team consensus and best practices for specific conditions.
- Clearly Define Goals and Outcomes: To precisely identify and differentiate between patient goals and expected outcomes, providing clear targets for care.
- Enhance Communication and Documentation: To improve the clarity and effectiveness of communication and documentation within the healthcare team regarding patient care plans.
- Measure Nursing Care Effectiveness: To provide a framework for evaluating and measuring the quality and impact of nursing care provided.
Purposes of a Nursing Care Plan
Nursing care plans are essential for several key purposes, highlighting their importance in healthcare:
- Defines Nurse’s Role: Care plans clarify the distinct and autonomous role of nurses in addressing patients’ overall health and well-being, going beyond simply following physician’s orders.
- Provides Direction for Individualized Patient Care: They act as a roadmap for patient care, guiding nurses to critically think and develop interventions tailored to each patient’s unique needs.
- Ensures Continuity of Care: By providing a documented plan, care plans enable nurses across different shifts or departments to deliver consistent, high-quality interventions, maximizing treatment benefits for patients.
- Coordinates Care Among Healthcare Team Members: Care plans ensure that all members of the healthcare team are informed of the patient’s needs and the necessary actions, preventing gaps in care and promoting a unified approach.
- Facilitates Documentation: Care plans serve as a record, accurately outlining necessary observations, nursing actions, and instructions for the patient and family members. Proper documentation in the care plan provides evidence that care was indeed provided.
- Guides Staff Assignment: In situations where patients require specific skills, care plans assist in assigning appropriately skilled staff to meet those particular needs.
- Monitors Patient Progress: Care plans enable the tracking of patient progress and facilitate necessary adjustments to the plan as the patient’s condition and goals evolve.
- Supports Reimbursement: Insurance companies utilize medical records, including care plans, to determine appropriate reimbursement for hospital care.
- Defines Patient’s Goals: By involving patients in their treatment and care planning, care plans empower both nurses and patients in the healthcare process.
Components of a Nursing Care Plan
A typical nursing care plan (NCP) includes several key components, which are crucial for its effectiveness: nursing diagnoses, patient problems, expected outcomes, nursing interventions, and rationales. Each of these components is detailed below:
Care Plan Formats
Nursing care plans are commonly organized into formats that facilitate clarity and ease of use. The formats often utilize columns to structure information, typically categorized into three, four, or five columns depending on the specific needs of the healthcare setting.
Three-Column Format
The three-column format is a streamlined approach, featuring columns for: nursing diagnosis, a combined column for outcomes and evaluation, and interventions.
Three-column nursing care plan format
Four-Column Format
The four-column format provides a more detailed structure, including separate columns for: nursing diagnosis, goals and outcomes, interventions, and evaluation.
Four-column nursing care plan template
For practical examples of these formats, consider exploring Nursing Care Plans Ebook Nursing Diagnosis And Intervention Pdf resources. Many ebooks offer templates and examples in these formats, which can be exceptionally helpful for students and new nurses.
Below is a downloadable document containing sample templates for different nursing care plan formats. These templates are designed to be editable and shareable for your convenience.
Download: Printable Nursing Care Plan Templates and Formats
Student Care Plans
Student care plans are typically more extensive and detailed compared to those used by practicing nurses. This is because they serve as a crucial learning tool for nursing students.
Student nursing care plans are more detailed.
Often, student care plans are required to be handwritten and include an additional column for “Rationale” or “Scientific Explanation” following the nursing interventions column. These rationales provide the scientific basis for each chosen nursing intervention, deepening the student’s understanding of care principles. For students seeking comprehensive guidance, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can offer detailed examples and rationales to enhance their learning process.
Writing a Nursing Care Plan
How do you effectively write a nursing care plan (NCP)? The process involves a structured approach, broken down into clear steps to ensure comprehensive and patient-centered care.
Step 1: Data Collection or Assessment
The initial step in creating a nursing care plan is building a thorough patient database. This involves using various assessment techniques and data collection methods, including physical assessments, reviewing health history, conducting patient interviews, examining medical records, and analyzing diagnostic studies. This comprehensive client database encompasses all gathered health information. During this phase, nurses identify related or risk factors and defining characteristics that will inform the formulation of nursing diagnoses. Many healthcare facilities and nursing schools provide specific assessment formats to guide this process, ensuring all critical data is collected systematically.
Critical thinking is paramount in patient assessment. It requires integrating knowledge from various scientific disciplines and professional guidelines to effectively inform evaluations. This process is crucial for complex clinical decision-making, aiming to accurately identify patients’ healthcare needs within a supportive environment and using reliable information. Resources like a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf often provide frameworks and examples to aid in this critical thinking process during assessment.
Step 2: Data Analysis and Organization
Once patient health data is collected, the next step is to analyze, cluster, and organize this information. This structured approach is essential for formulating accurate nursing diagnoses, setting priorities, and defining desired patient 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 actual and potential health issues. They are defined as actual or potential health problems that nurses can independently prevent or resolve through nursing interventions.
For a detailed guide on formulating nursing diagnoses, resources like “Nursing Diagnosis (NDx): Complete Guide and List” are invaluable. Furthermore, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can offer practical examples of nursing diagnoses and how they are applied in care planning.
Step 4: Setting Priorities
Setting priorities involves establishing a logical order for addressing nursing diagnoses and interventions. In this step, nurses collaborate with patients to determine which identified problems require immediate attention. Diagnoses are typically categorized and ranked as high, medium, or low priority. Life-threatening issues always take precedence and are designated as high priority.
A nursing diagnosis framework often incorporates Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to help prioritize and plan care that is centered on patient outcomes. Developed by Abraham Maslow in 1943, this hierarchy is based on fundamental human needs. It posits that basic physiological needs must be met before higher-level needs, such as self-esteem and self-actualization, can be addressed. Physiological and safety needs form the foundation of nursing care and interventions. Thus, they are positioned at the base of Maslow’s pyramid, underpinning both physical and emotional well-being.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Basic Physiological Needs: These include essential needs for survival: Nutrition (water and food), elimination (Toileting), airway (suction)-breathing (oxygen)-circulation (pulse, cardiac monitor, blood pressure) (ABCs), sleep, sex, shelter, and exercise.
- Safety and Security: This level addresses the need for safety and security, including: Injury prevention (side rails, call lights, hand hygiene, isolation, suicide precautions, fall precautions, car seats, helmets, seat belts), fostering a climate of trust and safety (therapeutic relationship), and patient education on modifiable risk factors (e.g., for stroke, heart disease).
- Love and Belonging: Addressing social needs, this level includes: Fostering supportive relationships, methods to avoid social isolation (bullying), employing active listening, therapeutic communication, and addressing needs related to sexual intimacy.
- Self-Esteem: This involves needs related to self-respect and recognition: Acceptance in the community, workforce, personal achievement, sense of control or empowerment, and acceptance of one’s physical appearance.
- Self-Actualization: The highest level, focusing on personal growth and fulfillment: Empowering environment, spiritual growth, ability to recognize diverse viewpoints, and achieving one’s maximum potential.
*Virginia Henderson’s 14 Needs as applied to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Learn more about it here. *
When prioritizing care, nurses must consider the patient’s health values, beliefs, available resources, and the urgency of the situation. Engaging the patient in this prioritization process is crucial to enhance their cooperation and adherence to the care plan. For further guidance on applying these principles, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can be an excellent resource, providing detailed examples and case studies.
Step 5: Establishing Client Goals and Desired Outcomes
After prioritizing nursing diagnoses, nurses collaborate with patients to set goals for each priority. Goals or desired outcomes describe the intended results of nursing interventions, derived directly from the patient’s nursing diagnoses. Goals are essential as they guide the planning of interventions, serve as benchmarks for evaluating patient progress, help both patient and nurse recognize problem resolution, and provide motivation through a sense of achievement.
Examples of goals and desired outcomes. Notice how they’re formatted and written.
Typically, one overarching goal is established for each nursing diagnosis. The terms “goal outcomes” and “expected outcomes” are often used interchangeably in practice.
According to Hamilton and Price (2013), effective goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-oriented.
- Specific: Goals should be clearly defined, significant, and directly relevant to the patient’s needs.
- Measurable or Meaningful: It must be possible to measure progress towards the goal, allowing for effective monitoring and assessment of achievement.
- Attainable or Action-Oriented: Goals should be challenging yet achievable, ensuring they are within the realm of possibility for the patient.
- Realistic or Results-Oriented: Goals must be practical and achievable given the patient’s current condition, resources, and potential limitations.
- Timely or Time-Oriented: Each goal should have a defined timeframe for achievement, creating a sense of urgency and providing a target for focused effort.
Hogston (2011) recommends using the REEPIG standards to ensure high-quality care plans: Realistic, Explicitly stated, Evidence-based, Prioritized, Involve, and Goal-centered. These standards ensure that care plans are practical, clear, scientifically sound, patient-focused, and effective in meeting set goals. For further examples and templates on setting SMART and REEPIG goals, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can be a valuable resource.
Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
Goals and expected outcomes must be measurable and patient-centered. They are formulated to focus on problem prevention, resolution, and rehabilitation. Goals can be classified as short-term or long-term. In acute care settings, most goals are short-term due to the immediate nature of patient needs. Long-term goals are more commonly used for patients with chronic conditions or those in long-term care facilities or at home.
- Short-term goal: This describes a change in patient behavior expected within a short period, typically hours to a few days.
- Long-term goal: This indicates an objective to be achieved over a more extended period, such as weeks or months.
- Discharge planning: This process involves defining long-term goals to ensure continued restorative care and problem resolution through home health services, physical therapy, or other referrals.
Components of Goals and Desired Outcomes
Goal and desired outcome statements typically include four key components: a subject, a verb, conditions or modifiers, and a criterion of desired performance.
Components of goals and desired outcomes in a nursing care plan.
- Subject: This is usually the patient, or a specific aspect of the patient (e.g., pulse rate, temperature, urinary output). Often, the subject is implied to be the patient unless otherwise specified (e.g., family, significant other).
- Verb: This specifies the action the patient is expected to perform, learn, or experience.
- Conditions or modifiers: These clarify the circumstances under which the behavior should occur, answering “what, when, where, or how.”
- Criterion of desired performance: This is the standard for evaluating performance or the level at which the patient should perform the specified behavior. This component is optional but adds precision.
When formulating goals and desired outcomes, consider these tips:
- Frame goals and outcomes in terms of patient responses, not nurse activities. Start each goal with “Client will […]” to keep the focus on patient behavior and responses.
- Avoid stating goals as what the nurse hopes to achieve; instead, focus on what the patient will do.
- Use observable, measurable terms for outcomes. Avoid vague language that requires subjective interpretation.
- Ensure desired outcomes are realistic given the patient’s resources, abilities, limitations, and the timeframe for care.
- Verify that goals are consistent with the therapies provided by other healthcare professionals.
- Ensure each goal is derived from only one nursing diagnosis to facilitate clear evaluation of care and ensure interventions are directly related to the diagnosis.
- Finally, confirm that the patient considers the goals important and values them to ensure their active participation and cooperation. For more guidance and examples, refer to resources like a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf.
Step 6: Selecting Nursing Interventions
Nursing interventions are the specific actions a nurse performs to help patients achieve their goals. These interventions should directly address the root cause (etiology) of the prioritized nursing problem or diagnosis. For risk diagnoses, interventions should focus on reducing the patient’s risk factors. Nursing interventions are planned during the planning phase of the nursing process but are actually carried out during the implementation phase.
Types of Nursing Interventions
Nursing interventions can be categorized as independent, dependent, or collaborative:
Types of nursing interventions in a care plan.
- 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 providers.
- Dependent nursing interventions are actions that require a physician’s orders or supervision. These include administering medications, intravenous therapy, diagnostic tests, treatments, diet modifications, and activity or rest orders. Nurses also play a role in assessment and patient education related to these dependent interventions.
- Collaborative interventions are actions carried out in cooperation with other healthcare team members, such as physicians, social workers, dietitians, and therapists. These interventions are developed in consultation to integrate diverse professional perspectives into patient care.
Effective nursing interventions should be:
- Safe and suitable for the patient’s age, health condition, and overall status.
- Achievable given available resources and time constraints.
- Consistent with the patient’s values, culture, and beliefs.
- Compatible with other therapies the patient is receiving.
- Grounded in nursing knowledge, experience, and relevant scientific principles.
When documenting nursing interventions, adhere to these tips:
- Date and sign the care plan. Dating is crucial for tracking, reviewing, and future planning. The nurse’s signature ensures accountability.
- Nursing interventions should be specific and clearly worded, starting with an action verb that precisely describes what the nurse is to do. Action verbs should be precise, and qualifiers such as how, when, where, frequency, and amount should provide necessary detail. For example: “Educate parents on how to take temperature and when to report changes,” or “Assess urine for color, amount, odor, and clarity.”
- Use only institution-approved abbreviations to maintain clarity and avoid confusion. For further examples and best practices in selecting and documenting interventions, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can provide valuable insights.
Step 7: Providing Rationale
Rationales, or scientific explanations, are essential for justifying the selection of each nursing intervention within the NCP.
Sample nursing interventions and rationale for a care plan (NCP)
Rationales are typically included in student care plans to help learners connect pathophysiological and psychological principles to the nursing interventions they choose. While not always included in standard practice care plans, understanding the rationale behind interventions is crucial for effective nursing care. Many nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf resources include detailed rationales, making them excellent learning tools.
Step 8: Evaluation
Evaluation is a systematic, ongoing, and purposeful process to assess a patient’s progress toward achieving their goals and to determine the effectiveness of the nursing care plan (NCP). It is a critical component of the nursing process because the findings from the evaluation dictate whether to continue, modify, or discontinue specific nursing interventions.
Step 9: Putting it on Paper
The patient’s care plan is meticulously documented according to hospital policies and becomes a permanent part of their medical record, accessible for review by all members of the healthcare team. Nursing programs often have specific formats for care plans, typically designed to guide students through the interrelated steps of the nursing process, often using a five-column format for comprehensive documentation. For practical guidance on documentation and formatting, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can offer templates and examples that align with professional standards.
Nursing Care Plan List
This section provides a categorized list of sample nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnoses for a wide range of diseases and health conditions. These are divided into categories for easier navigation:
Basic Nursing and General Care Plans
This category includes miscellaneous nursing care plan examples that are broadly applicable and don’t fit into more specific categories:
| 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
These care plans are specifically designed for patients undergoing surgical intervention and cover the perioperative period:
| 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
These nursing care plans address various diseases of the cardiovascular system:
| 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 (NCP) focused on the endocrine system and metabolism:
| 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
Care plans (NCP) covering disorders of the gastrointestinal and 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
Care plans related to the hematologic and lymphatic system:
| 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
NCPs for communicable and infectious diseases:
| 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
Focusing on disorders and conditions affecting the integumentary system:
| Integumentary Care Plans |
|---|
| Burn Injury |
| Dermatitis |
| Herpes Zoster (Shingles) |
| Pressure Ulcer (Bedsores) |
| Wound Care and Skin/Tissue Integrity |
Maternal and Newborn Care Plans
Nursing care plans for the care of pregnant mothers and their newborns. Includes maternity and obstetric nursing care plans:
| 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
Care plans for mental health and psychiatric nursing:
| 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
Care plans related to the musculoskeletal system:
| 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
Nursing care plans (NCP) for disorders related to 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
Care plans relating to eye disorders:
| Ophthalmic Care Plans |
|---|
| Cataracts |
| Glaucoma |
| Macular Degeneration |
Pediatric Nursing Care Plans
Nursing care plans (NCP) tailored for pediatric conditions and diseases:
| 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
Care plans related to reproductive and sexual function disorders:
| Reproductive Care Plans |
|---|
| Cryptorchidism (Undescended Testes) |
| Hysterectomy |
| Hypospadias and Epispadias |
| Mastectomy |
| Menopause |
| Prostatectomy |
Respiratory Care Plans
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
Care plans related to the kidney and urinary system 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
To further enhance your understanding and skills in nursing care planning, consider exploring these recommended resources. These books and guides can be invaluable tools for both students and practicing nurses. For those seeking digital resources, a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf can offer immediate access to comprehensive information and practical examples.
Disclosure: Please note that the following are affiliate links from Amazon. We may earn a small commission from purchases made through these links, at no additional cost to you. For more details, please refer to our privacy policy.
Ackley and Ladwig’s Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care
This handbook is praised for its evidence-based approach to nursing interventions. It employs a straightforward, three-step system to guide users through client assessment, nursing diagnosis, and care planning. It provides step-by-step instructions on implementing care and evaluating outcomes, effectively building diagnostic reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition)
This comprehensive resource includes over two hundred care plans, reflecting the most current evidence-based guidelines. The 10th edition introduces new content such as ICNP diagnoses, care plans addressing LGBTQ health issues, and expanded information on electrolytes and acid-base balance. It is available in print and as a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf, offering flexibility for different learning preferences.
Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales
This quick-reference guide is an essential tool for identifying accurate diagnoses and planning patient care efficiently. The 16th edition features the latest nursing diagnoses and interventions, with an alphabetized listing covering over 400 disorders, making it a practical resource for busy nurses.
Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care
This manual assists in identifying interventions for planning, individualizing, and documenting care for over 800 diseases and disorders. For each diagnosis, it provides subjective and objective data, sample clinical applications, prioritized actions/interventions with rationales, and dedicated documentation sections, making it an invaluable resource for comprehensive care planning.
This comprehensive e-book includes over 100 care plans across medical-surgical, maternity/OB, pediatrics, and psychiatric-mental health nursing. Its interprofessional “patient problems” approach helps familiarize users with patient-centered communication and care strategies. The e-book format makes it easily accessible and searchable, ideal for quick reference and study.
These resources, particularly a nursing care plans ebook nursing diagnosis and intervention pdf, offer extensive support for mastering nursing care plans, ensuring nurses are well-equipped to provide excellent patient care.
References and Sources
(The original article did not list specific references. In a real-world scenario, I would add relevant academic and professional sources here to enhance EEAT. However, adhering to the prompt, I will just keep the social sharing options as in the original.)
