Careplan websites/books/pda programs

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Hello: Second semester nursing student here. I was just wondering if anybody had any good nursing careplan websites, books, pda programs, or anything to recommend. I loathe careplans, but I have to do them, and the more time I can save by having a resource to help, the more sleep I can get before my clinical rotations! Anyways, help me out if you know of some good ones! Cheers! :typing

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Specializes in mds coordinator, DSD, Vent Nurse, Rehab.

If you check your local library you may find nursing care plan books. You may also check your local hospital. The library is often open to the public.

Hope this helps...

Calli

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Lots of times hospitals have care plans for the most usual nursing diagnoses in a drawer or somewhere that's handy. They might have checklists you can use to pick the interventions. They might even be "pre-packed" in the chart. Ask the nurses where you work if there is such a thing there.

Also, your nursing textbooks should have lots of careplans in them!

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This information is from "Daytonite", a member and a regular source of information for many of us around here.

http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/MERLIN/Gulanick/Constructor/#New

This entire thread is good..... https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/help-care-plans-286986.html

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

we have the following resources for care plans on the student forums:

the best book on how to write care plans, in my opinion, is nursing care planning made incredibly easy. it emphasizes following the steps of the nursing process which is exactly what i have always done when answering care plan questions. and i came to that realization on my own. the book comes with a cd that contains a bunch of completed care plans for common med/surg, ob, peds and psych disorders. ob, peds and psych care plans are hard to find without buying separate care plan books for them.

i have several care plan books and each has unique features that the others don't have. what is common to them is that they are organized by medical diseases and they only hit on the most popular ones that you are likely to run across in a hospitalized patient. if you get stuck doing a care plan on a patient with some disease such as polio which you won't find in care plan books, then what will you do? that's why knowing how to do a care plan from scratch and knowing the nursing process is a big help.

critical to writing care plans these days is a good nursing diagnosis reference of some type. if you buy a nursing care plan book make sure it contains nanda taxonomy information for each of the nursing diagnoses. if you have a current copy of taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary you will find the nursing diagnoses and taxonomy for them listed in the appendix. nanda does not give the taxonomy information for free. it must be purchased and books that include the nanda information pay a royalty to nanda to reprint that information.

two websites which are companions to nursing diagnosis and care plans books are care plan formatters, but i often post their nursing diagnosis pages for students who don't have nursing diagnosis reference books:

you can save yourself a world of hurt and frustration by taking the time to learn and constantly review the 5 little steps of the nursing process. more than any concept you are learning in school, the nursing process is probably the most improtant single thing that will keep you in business as a nurse for the rest of your career. it will help you write care plans and it will help set your thinking on the right path every single time you have to make some kind of decision. it is the construct for how we think critically and rationally.

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Specializes in mds coordinator, DSD, Vent Nurse, Rehab.

Just remember that care plans must be individualized for each patient. Example: two patients with kidney failure might not have a fluid restriction. If you get the preprinted ones make sure before you use them that you cross out anything that is not current for the patient.

If you have specific care plan you need you might think of posting them and maybe nurses or students on here will send them to you.

Good luck!

Calli

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Wow! Thanks everyone! Nurses are so awesome, I'm so glad I'm becoming part of the team! Take care and thanks again!

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