Define 'therapeutic intervention'

This term has been used by a nursing instructor and as a diligent student, I am curious what this term means to nurses. My definition of it is any measurement used to increase wellness or well-being of an individual. There may be an aspect of this that I have not considered so I reached out to get others thoughts on what TI meant to them.

Thanks for your response! I appreciate it. :wink2:

I am a nursing student and I am new to allnurses.com so pointer would be nice too. I am working on a project for Therapeutic Interventions and I am wondering where I start. I am confused on where to begin. I know that it is taking actions to better the patients health and well-being but I am confused on how to start my speech. Is it taking vital signs often and checking on the patient often? Is it providing a professional yet warm and caring nurse-patient relationship? Is it fast thinking to help safe a life? Is it knowing how to react to certian behaviors to provide safety for patients? Is it providing a clean environment for a patient(including thier room)?

I am really confused and any pointer would be great.

Thankss

generally speaking, data collection efforts (such as taking vs or checking lab results) are not interventions. interventions are things that you do to, well, intervene, to change things. data collection doesn't change anything for the patient.

in-ter-ven-tion

   [in-ter-ven-shuhn

[color=#333333]noun 1.[color=#333333]the [color=#333333]act or [color=#333333]fact [color=#333333]of intervening.

2.[color=#333333]interposition [color=#333333]or [color=#333333]interference of one state in the affairs of another.

in nursing, a nursing intervention is something a nurse does to change a state of things-- maybe by making for more comfort, safety, attitude, knowledge, etc. do you have a nanda book that gives you nursing diagnoses? you should anyway, but you can also use it for this. for example, i reach up above my desk and open mine to a random page and up pops:

"disturbed sleep pattern: domain 4, activity/rest; class 1, sleep/rest. definition: time-limited interruptions of sleep amount and quality due to external factors.

"defining characteristics: change in normal sleep patterns, verbal complaints of not feeling well-rested, dissatisfaction with sleep, decreased ability to function, reports being awakened, reports no difficulty falling asleep

"related factors: ambient temperature, humidity; caregiving responsibilities; change in darkness/daylight exposure; interruptions (e.g., for therapeutics, monitoring, lab tests); lack of sleep privacy/control; lighting; noise; noxious odors; physical restraint; sleep partner; unfamiliar sleep surroundings."

so, looking at all the things that cause the disturbed sleep, in this example, what things could the nurse do, or cause to be done, to make things better? those are your interventions. now go and find out what is going on c your patient and find out why, and you will have your answers.