Nursing student needs advice please help?

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Hello everyone, this is my first time using this site, so I am not exactly sure if I am doing this right. Anyway, I am having an issue prioritizing a concept map for a careplan. I actually have to pick my top 2 nursing diagnosises and create 2 care plans from them. I have already completed my first one , but I am having a hard time deciding upon the other. The problem is: The patient had an infection; the only nursing diagnosis I can find is risk for infection. When you look in the NANDA book under infection, it gives you the options: hyperthermia, ineffective protection, and risk for trauma. My patient was running a temperature, so does that take priority over the actual infection?? Should I do a care plan on hyperthermia or risk for infection?

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Having a fever is not necessarily the same thing as hyperthermia. You need to look up the definition of hyperthermia and clarify the differences of fever with infection and hyperthermia, in your mind.

For priorities, always look first at the ABCs, airway breathing circulation. Is the infection compromising any of those? (pneumonia vs peripheral cellulitis). Sepsis may be an end result of intreated localized infections.

Good luck.

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Thank you for your help.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
having a fever is not necessarily the same thing as hyperthermia. you need to look up the definition of hyperthermia and clarify the differences of fever with infection and hyperthermia, in your mind.

for priorities, always look first at the abcs, airway breathing circulation. is the infection compromising any of those? (pneumonia vs peripheral cellulitis). sepsis may be an end result of intreated localized infections.

good luck.

fever (also known as pyrexia or controlled hyperthermia) is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of 36.5–37.5 °c (98–100 °f) due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. this increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.

as a person's temperature increases, there is, in general, a feeling of cold despite an increasing body temperature. once the new temperature is reached, there is a feeling of warmth.

a fever can be caused by many different conditions ranging from benign to potentially serious. there are arguments for and against the usefulness of fever, and the issue is controversial. with the exception of very high temperatures, treatment to reduce fever is often not necessary; however, antipyretic medications can be effective at lowering the temperature, which may improve the affected person's comfort.

fever differs from uncontrolled hyperthermia, in that hyperthermia is an increase in body temperature over the body's thermoregulatory set-point, due to excessive heat production and/or insufficient thermoregulation.

hyperpyrexia, fever, sepsis

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=7&gs_id=r&xhr=t&q=hyperpyrexia&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&rlz=1w1ggll_enus413&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=hyperpy&aq=0&aqi=g4&aql=f&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=fe49d561ad75bea3&biw=1264&bih=602

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Hey DLC--I think I understand where you're trying to go with this. In our program we set up ND's in the following format (Dx, r/t_____AEB____). In our format, an elevated temp would be part of your "as evidenced by." I'm not sure what kind of infection your patient has, but for example: Urinary tract infection, related to (indwelling catheter, improper toileting, stasis..etc) as evidenced by fever/chills, burning on urination, foul-smelling urine, elevated WBC, hematuria...etc. Look on the chart and see if the doc has determined what kind of infection...UTI, wound, etc. and go from there; you'll then be able to do your assessment, actions/interventions, and expected outcomes.

Don't get discouraged with learning to do care plans--some of my classmates HATE them--but you really learn a lot from constructing them. One thing our program chair didn't require we buy our first quarter of med-surg was a cp book...man, if I only knew...I have a couple now and they've been worth every penny. Here they are: Nursing Care Plans Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes by Meg Gulanick and Judith L. Myers 7th ed. and Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, An Evidenced-Based guide to planning care by Betty J. Ackley and Gail B. Ladwig 9th ed. I found them the cheapest on amazon.com.

Good luck and by the way, Esme is so right about reading past post by daytonite...I've read a ton of her post just for fun, I think she must be a professor, nurse educator, or her hospital's #1 preceptor or something...awesome.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
fever (also known as pyrexia or controlled hyperthermia) is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of 36.5-37.5 °c (98-100 °f) due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. this increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shiveringquote]

thank you, technically yes. i look at hyperthermia from a wilderness first aid scenario, as in heat exhaustion and heat stroke. i was trying to direct the student into looking at these from that angle, root cause.

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I just wanted to echo Daytonite (RIP, I am so sad to hear). I found this site through googling stuff and reading his/her veeeery detailed answers.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
fever (also known as pyrexia or controlled hyperthermia) is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of 36.5-37.5 °c (98-100 °f) due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. this increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shiveringquote]

thank you, technically yes. i look at hyperthermia from a wilderness first aid scenario, as in heat exhaustion and heat stroke. i was trying to direct the student into looking at these from that angle, root cause.

the link would take them there to fever.

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