help

this ncps isn't giving you the underlying pathophysiology of the diarrhea. that's why you are not sure of the problem. use an ncps for nursing diagnosis ideas only. otherwise, it is just taking a short cut. as a student, you cannot afford to take short cuts because you have to learn how the diagnosing is done. by using care plan books when you are diagnosing problems and care planning you are going to end up with questions about your reasoning and rationales. you need answers to those questions and they are not going to be in those care plan books. they are in your textbooks and other resources.

print out the steps of the nursing process that i list below and follow them to the letter. steps #1, #2 and #3 are crucial to the writing of a care plan. it may require that you go to a number of textbooks or online websites to find answers. you need to be looking up information about diarrhea and why it happens, what causes it and look at other factors going on with this patient and not just their diet. this is all answered by doing all the activity listed under step #1 of the nursing process--assessment. if you look at a book such as nursing care planning made incredibly easy it will tell you the very same thing. here you are getting this information without having to buy the book.

1. assessment (collect data from medical record, do a physical assessment of the patient, assess adl's, look up information about your patient's medical diseases/conditions to learn about the signs and symptoms and pathophysiology)
   • a physical assessment of the patient
     
   • assessment of the patient's ability and any assistance they need to accomplish their adls (activities of daily living) with the disease
     
   • data collected from the medical record (information in the doctor's history and physical, information in the doctor's progress notes, test result information, notes by ancillary healthcare providers such as physical therapists and dietitians
     
   • knowing the pathophysiology, signs/symptoms, usual tests ordered, and medical treatment for the medical disease or condition that the patient has. this includes knowing about any medical procedures that have been performed on the patient, their expected consequences during the healing phase, and potential complications. if this information is not known, then you need to research and find it. (see the weblinks i have listed for you below)

[*]determination of the patient's problem(s)/nursing diagnosis (make a list of the abnormal assessment data, match your abnormal assessment data to likely nursing diagnoses, decide on the nursing diagnoses to use)

• it helps to have a book with nursing diagnosis reference information in it. there are a number of ways to acquire this information.
  • your instructors might have given it to you.
    
  • you can purchase it directly from nanda. nanda-i nursing diagnoses: definitions & classification 2007-2008 published by nanda international. cost is $24.95 http://www.nanda.org/html/nursing_diagnosis.html
    
  • many authors of care plan and nursing diagnosis books include the nanda nursing diagnosis information. this information will usually be found immediately below the title of a nursing diagnosis.
    
  • the nanda taxonomy and a medical disease cross reference is in the appendix of both taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary and mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health dictionary
    
  • there are also two websites that have information for about 75 of the most commonly used nursing diagnoses that you can access for free:
    • http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/evolve/ackley/ndh7e/constructor/
      
    • http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/merlin/gulanick/constructor/index.cfm

[*]planning (write measurable goals/outcomes and nursing interventions)

[*]implementation (initiate the care plan)

[*]evaluation (determine if goals/outcomes have been met)

also use the weblinks on this thread to help you:

• https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/medical-disease-information-treatment-procedures-test-reference-websites-258109.html - medical disease information/treatment/procedures/test reference websites
  
  

diarrhea:

• http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec02/ch008/ch008c.html
  
• http://www.fpnotebook.com/gi/diarrhea/actdrh.htm
  
• http://www.emedicinehealth.com/diarrhea/article_em.htm
  
• http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-diarrhea
  
• http://medlineplus.gov/ - input "diarrhea" into the search box