Any nursing care plan book recommendations?

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Hi, guys! I'm starting nursing school in about 1.5 months, and I know that care plans are an essential part of the program. I was hoping to buy a supplemental text to help with understanding how to create care plans, so I can have the resources if I need them when the time comes. I tried looking through previous posts, but I couldn't find any recent ones, so I would LOVE to hear about any care plan books that you found to be helpful!

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I too will begin my program this fall and I have researched care plan texts that had the best reviews on amazon and what I have stumbled onto was this one:

1. Ackley and Ladwig Nursing diagnosis Handbook.

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The previous post is right, Ackley & Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook. I'm starting my third semester in the fall and there's no way I could do care plans without it. Also, if you go to evolve.elsevier.com,

there are free resources for each of the textbooks they publish. The resources for the Nursing Diagnosis Handbook have a care plan generator that is also really helpful.

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The previous post is right, Ackley & Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook. I'm starting my third semester in the fall and there's no way I could do care plans without it. Also, if you go to evolve.elsevier.com,

there are free resources for each of the textbooks they publish. The resources for the Nursing Diagnosis Handbook have a care plan generator that is also really helpful.

I agree as well. I'm starting last semester of ADN, and this book has been the best! This is my go-to for care plans.

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Thank you for your responses! The consensus seems to be Ackley & Lawdig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook. I will be sure to purchase it! Thanks again :D

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I use Ackley as well...but trust me what you ALL need is the ultimate guide....

Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification 2012-14

This WILL make you life SO easy!!!!!!!

Be sure your care plan books are current for the language is different if it isn't...When you need help post at the Nursing student assistance we help with care plans ALL the time!

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Thank you, Esme. I will be sure to look into that guide as well :)

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As physicians make medical diagnoses based on evidence, so do nurses make nursing diagnoses based on evidence.

This is one of the most difficult concepts for some nursing students to incorporate into their understanding of what nursing is, which is why I strive to think of multiple ways to say it. Yes, nursing is legally obligated to implement some aspects of the medical plan of care. (Other disciplines may implement other parts, like radiology, or therapy, or ...) That is not to say that everything nursing assesses, is, and does is part of the medical plan of care. It is not. That's where nursing dx comes in.

A nursing diagnosis statement translated into regular English goes something like this: "I think my patient has ____(diagnosis)_____________ . He has this because he has ___(related factor(s))__. I know this because I see/assessed/found in the chart (as evidenced by) __(defining characteristics)________________."

"Related to" means "caused by," not something else. In many nursing diagnoses it is perfectly acceptable to use a medical diagnosis as a causative factor. For example, "acute pain" includes as related factors "Injury agents: e.g. (which means, "for example") biological, chemical, physical, psychological."

To make a nursing diagnosis, you must be able to demonstrate at least one "defining characteristic." Defining characteristics for all approved nursing diagnoses are found in the NANDA-I 2012-2014 (current edition). $29 paperback, $23 for your Kindle at Amazon, free 2-day delivery for students. NEVER make an error about this---and, as a bonus, be able to defend appropriate use of medical diagnoses as related factors to your faculty. Won't they be surprised!

If you do not have the NANDA-I 2012-2014, you are cheating yourself out of the best reference for this you could have. I don’t care if your faculty forgot to put it on the reading list. Get it now. Free 2-day shipping for students from Amazon. When you get it out of the box, first put little sticky tabs on the sections:

1, health promotion (teaching, immunization....)

2, nutrition (ingestion, metabolism, hydration....)

3, elimination and exchange (this is where you'll find bowel, bladder, renal, pulmonary...)

4, activity and rest (sleep, activity/exercise, cardiovascular and pulmonary tolerance, self-care and neglect...)

5, perception and cognition (attention, orientation, cognition, communication...)

6, self-perception (hopelessness, loneliness, self-esteem, body image...)

7, role (family relationships, parenting, social interaction...)

8, sexuality (dysfunction, ineffective pattern, reproduction, childbearing process, maternal-fetal dyad...)

9, coping and stress (post-trauma responses, coping responses, anxiety, denial, grief, powerlessness, sorrow...)

10, life principles (hope, spiritual, decisional conflict, nonadherence...)

11, safety (this is where you'll find your wound stuff, shock, infection, tissue integrity, dry eye, positioning injury, SIDS, trauma, violence, self mutilization...)

12, comfort (physical, environmental, social...)

13, growth and development (disproportionate, delayed...)

Now, if you are ever again tempted to make a diagnosis first and cram facts into it second, at least go to the section where you think your diagnosis may lie and look at the table of contents at the beginning of it. Something look tempting? Look it up and see if the defining characteristics match your assessment findings. If so... there's a match. CONGRATULATIONS! You made a nursing diagnosis! :anpom: If not... keep looking. Eventually you will find it easier to do it the other way round, but this is as good a way as any to start getting familiar with THE reference for the professional nurse.

Two more books to you that will save your bacon all the way through nursing school, starting now. The first is NANDA, NOC, and NIC Linkages: Nursing Diagnoses, Outcomes, and Interventions. This is a wonderful synopsis of major nursing interventions, suggested interventions, and optional interventions related to nursing diagnoses. For example, on pages 113-115 you will find Confusion, Chronic. You will find a host of potential outcomes, the possibility of achieving of which you can determine based on your personal assessment of this patient. Major, suggested, and optional interventions are listed, too; you get to choose which you think you can realistically do, and how you will evaluate how they work if you do choose them.It is important to realize that you cannot just copy all of them down; you have to pick the ones that apply to your individual patient. Also available at Amazon. Check the publication date-- the 2006 edition does not include many current NANDA-I 2012-2014 nursing diagnoses and includes several that have been withdrawn for lack of evidence.

The 2nd book is Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) is in its 6th edition, 2013, edited by Bulechek, Butcher, Dochterman, and Wagner. Mine came from Amazon. It gives a really good explanation of why the interventions are based on evidence, and every intervention is clearly defined and includes references if you would like to know (or if you need to give) the basis for the nursing (as opposed to medical) interventions you may prescribe. Another beauty of a reference. Don't think you have to think it all up yourself-- stand on the shoulders of giants.

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Wow.. that is an extremely detailed and most helpful post. Thank you, GrnTea. I do believe I have seen your explanation of nursing diagnoses dispersed here and there :lol2:. Is this what you're referring to when you're talking about NANDA-I?

Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification 2012-14: 9780470654828: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Wow.. that is an extremely detailed and most helpful post. Thank you, GrnTea. I do believe I have seen your explanation of nursing diagnoses dispersed here and there :lol2:. Is this what you're referring to when you're talking about NANDA-I?

Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification 2012-14: 9780470654828: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

Yes....:) It's the link I gave you as well.

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Ah, yes, I noticed that after I posted the link. Thank you again. :D

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I too will begin my program this fall and I have researched care plan texts that had the best reviews on amazon and what I have stumbled onto was this one:

1. Ackley and Ladwig Nursing diagnosis Handbook.

Ah the joys of care plans! I too recommend this book- in fact it was a required text for us, but I have definitely used it A LOT already (first semester)

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