#HELP Why don't I understand nursing diagnosis??

[AUSSRN101]

Hi Guys,

I'm trying to write a Nursing Care Plan for an elderly man who suffers from Parkinsons Disease, Deafness, Osteoporosis and a History of dehydration & hyponatremia (bad mix hey ). His Parkinsons disease is moderate and he currently lives with his daughter.

These are the current nursing diagnosis' I have:

1. Self-care deficits related to Parkinson's disease, Osteoporosis, as evidenced by neuromuscular weakness, decreased strength, loss of muscle control/coordination, stiffness.

2. Risk for falls due to stiffness and muscle weakness.

3. Impaired verbal communication related to lack of control of the facial muscles and troubled hearing.

4. Impaired verbal communication related to lack of control of the facial muscles and troubled hearing.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how these could be written better ect.?

I will the number one fan of anyone who can help me out (and very appreciative!).

Thank you so much xx

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Do you have a care planning book? You can never go wrong with going directly to the source and getting the book published by NANDA. Additionally, medical diagnoses shouldn't be used in your nursing diagnoses.

Remember, nursing diagnoses (with the exception of "risk for") require 3 parts: the diagnosis, the related to, and the as evidenced by. Your second diagnosis doesn't follow that format- due to isn't nursing diagnosis terminology. The third and fourth don't contain the as evidenced by portion. And your first one includes the medical diagnoses.

Even more important, your nursing diagnoses are based on the nursing assessment of the patient. While the medical diagnosis may influence the type of nursing assessment (such as q4hour neuro checks), the primary nursing diagnosis may not be related to the medical diagnosis at all.

[gM_2010, MSN, PhD, RN, NP]

Do you have a care planning book? You can never go wrong with going directly to the source and getting the book published by NANDA. Additionally, medical diagnoses shouldn't be used in your nursing diagnoses.

Remember, nursing diagnoses (with the exception of "risk for") require 3 parts: the diagnosis, the related to, and the as evidenced by. Your second diagnosis doesn't follow that format- due to isn't nursing diagnosis terminology. The third and fourth don't contain the as evidenced by portion. And your first one includes the medical diagnoses.

Even more important, your nursing diagnoses are based on the nursing assessment of the patient. While the medical diagnosis may influence the type of nursing assessment (such as q4hour neuro checks), the primary nursing diagnosis may not be related to the medical diagnosis at all.

Good words of wisdom. You also want to think about the nursing care priorities for your patient -which may be different depending on the type of nursing focus (meaning peds--maternal--psych--med-surg, etc).

For example from a med-surg standpoint-think about the actual nursing problems of the patient that can cause death, harm, or a bad outcome if not addressed by the nurse. The typical problems for a med surg nurse address A-B-Cs, consequences of the admitting medical diagnoses (. At risk problems in my opinion a lower priority than actual problems-unless at risk for airway or ABC compromise).

Care plans are thinking exercises for you to A) recognize patterns in the patient's data that in turn (B) comprise the defining characteristics for a particular problem in your care plan book © pick a plausible problem label (D) and articulate an outcome for the nursing care problem is measurable and observable. Good luck!