care plan goals and interventions for constipation

What do you have so far?

so far i have:

1. increase peristalsis...intervention: ambulate more.

2. increase hydration...intervention: drink at least 1L of water.

I want to incorporate fiber and stool softeners into this, but I'm not sure how to...

You should try to be more specific with your interventions.

Instead of ambulate more, how about ambulate in hallway twice a day to increase peristalsis.

For increase hydration, maybe maintain IV fluids at ? ml/hr &/or encourage po fluid intake (as long as no contraindications such as CHF).

You also want to think about diet. You can add lots of patient teaching about preventing & managing constipation after discharge.

Is patient taking stool softeners or laxatives? That's a nursing intervention. Ex. Patient will take Colace 200mg po once daily to soften stools & make them easier to pass.

You can encourage them to respond promptly to the urge to defecate.

Do you have a nursing dx book?? Constipation is an actual nursing diagnosis so they have lots of interventions to look up. Even a regular med-surg book should have some info for you.

A goal is usually reverse of the nursing dx & it must be measurable. So you can do by end of your shift or by discharge.....patient will state relief from discomfort of constipation, etc.

Hope that helps. I don't like giving answers right off the bat....you should do as much research as you can & use this site for additional help.

I wanted to just use the goal to be something like the one you said about the patient will state relief from discomfort of constipation and then the interventions will the the fluids, fiber, ambulation, etc...but I wasn't sure how to make up 5 goals, do you know what I mean? I can come up with plenty of interventions; it's just the goals that I'm having trouble with. It seems like there can only be 1 goal for this whole diagnosis.

Did they ask you for 5 goals?? Usually there is only one goal per nursing diagnosis & you list all the interventions to try & achieve that goal. After you take care of the patient, you do an evaluation & you state whether or not your goal was achieved & give the evidence of how.....if it wasn't achieved, you reassess & list what you could do different, etc.

Goals

short term goals

1. Patient will have BM within 24 hours

2. Patient will identify three ways to prevent constipation

3. Patient will identify three signs and symptoms of costipation

Long term goals

4. Pt will not experience any more episodes of constipation

Here is 4 i can think of....hope it helps.