having trouble with care plans and the nursing DX process

Lorie P. · Jan 30, 2006

have you tired going back to your med/surg book? look at the disease process and then look at the section of nursing interventions and the nat nursing dx. i finially saw this one day while reviewing for a test and it was like some one took the wool from over my eyes.

hope this helps. if ya need to pm and i will try to help .

wt2001 · Jan 31, 2006

okay i'm having such a hard time with understand the Care Plans and the nursing diagnosis process...i'm so confused i don't even know how to form a questions to get answered. I looked it all up in my textbook and the examples but it's just not clicking! we start clinicals in TWO weeks and i feel so lost! i've been an STNA for a while, so its not the patient care that bothers me, it's all this crazy paperwork and definitions...sometimes reading this stuff i have to look up every other word in a medical dictionary then look those words in the definition up in a children's dictionary...ohhhh i hope this gets better!!!

I found a book called The Nursing Diagnosis Handbook : A Guide to Planning Care by Betty J. Ackley and Gail B. Ladwig. It's an older book, 4th edition published through Mosby. I was able to do all of my care plans from this book. Section I tells you how to go through the nursing process and gather information. In section II you locate the clients symptoms, clinical state, and medical diagnoisis, anticipated or prescribed diagnostic studies, or surgical interventions. section II is used to evaluate each of the suggested nursing diagnosis. There are rationales for each diagnosis and intervention. For example: Dehydration- nursing diagnosis 1. altered health maintenance, altered oral mucous membranes, fluid volume deficit (of course they have what each are related to). Then look in the index for health maintenance altered, it gives you the page number and there you go. Do that for each diagnosis and you should have it. You can find this online.

jimthorp · Jan 31, 2006

Here is a tip. Your nursing diagnosis must be supported by your assessment. You should be able to "see" your diagnosis in the assessment.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2006

I have a friendly question that may or may not be off-topic.

Do any of the LPNs/LVNs who post here actually do nursing care plans at work? If not, do they assist the RN in formulating nursing care plans?

Lorie P. · Feb 2, 2006

all of our care plans are generic, pre-printed all we do is check a box and put our name and title at the bottom. we basically have 4 types of care plans daily medical( covers almost everything) surgical, chf, and pneumonia. depends on the dx as to what plan gets put on a chart.

the of course peds, l&d, post partum all have their own care plans.

we never right out care plans like they teach in school:rolleyes:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2006

we never right out care plans like they teach in school:rolleyes:

this is just what i had suspected all along. thank you so very much for the clarification. :)

Butterflybee · Feb 2, 2006

I havent used it yet but our LPN syllabus strongly suggested that we purchase:

Nurse's Pocket Guide, Diagnoses, Interventions, and Rationales

by Marilynn Doenges, Mary Moorhouse, Alice Geissler-Murr 9th Edition

I have looked it over and it looks similar to the other posters book.

Maybe you can find some practice information online.

We are just starting, I can understand where the confusion might come in. If a children's dictionary works for you, keep using it as an aid.

Keep your head up, you are there to learn, try to stay focused on the learning and not that you're not getting it. Sometimes it takes a little longer for some things. You'll make it!!

Kate28 · Feb 3, 2006

the Nurse's Pocket Guide is a great book, i recommend that one too. We're getting right into the thick of things with our care plans and I use that book as well as my Foundations of Nursing book more than any others.