Need help with my very first careplan.

hi, autopsy. . .let me start by helping you with some of your questions you need to fill out on your template. the "documented code status" refers to what is to be done if the patient has a cardiac or respiratory arrest and whether or not the patient has a "do not resusitate" order. the doctor has to specifically write out such an order. if there is no such order, i would write the word "full code" in that space which would indicate that if the patient has a code blue all efforts will be made to save the patient. with a "do not resusitate" (dnr) order, no cpr is done and patient would be allowed to die naturally if they suffered a cardiac or respiratory arrest.

when a patient is just returning from general anesthesia their diet will be npo at first until nausea has passed. then, depending on the type of surgery, they will be started on clear liquids. if they can tolerate clear liquids without nausea or vomiting, they are advanced to full liquids and finally to a regular diet. by the time you have the patient on her first full day after surgery, she should be advanced to a regular diet if she had no problems with liquids the day of surgery. her diet should go back to being the same diet she was on when she was admitted. patients with osteoporosis are usually advised to include more calcium in their diets. you might want to do a little more research on that.

it sounds like her primary diagnosis is the fractured hip. a primary diagnosis is the chief complaint for which the patient is being treated or for which the person seeks medical care. the fractured hip is it.

for your other related/underlying medical problems/diagnoses just write the following: bilateral cataracts, history of melanoma of unknown site, history of detached retina and osteoporosis.

for surgical or invasive procedures and dates (if applicable) write bilateral cataract extractions of unknown date, repair of detached retina of unknown date and probable excision of melanoma of unknown site and date. x-rays are not invasive procedures. invasive procedures refer to instruments that are taken inside the body or through the skin or other orifices to treat or examine the patient. most simple x-rays are non-invasive procedures. much of this information should be explained in the doctor's history and physical exam. if it wasn't present in the chart when you reviewed it, it will be there when she goes to surgery or the or nurses will have had a hissy fit, i guarantee it.

the section for the explanation of diagnosis, surgery, and/or procedure is where they want something about the pathophysiology of the disease (or in this case), injury, and the medical treatment that will be applied to treat it. to complete this part you need to hit the books--a pathophysiology book, if you have one. look up "fractures" and what the process of a broken bone entails. how does a bone heal? what will be done by the surgeon tomorrow in surgery, a hip pinning or a total hip replacement? did the chart say that? it would have been in the doctor's progress notes. if not you may have to describe a little about both procedures. something probably should be said about osteoporosis as well since it is often the underlying cause of most hip fractures in the elderly. here's some links with information.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15293 - definition of fractured hip

http://www.fpnotebook.com/ort216.htm - hip fracture (includes symptoms, signs and medical management) - note the first line says that they are osteoporosis related. this site will point you in the direction of the medical treatment of hip fractures

http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/fi-la/fracture-repair.html - fracture repair

http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/fi-la/hip-replacement.html - hip arthroplasty (hip replacement), the surgery, preop preparation and aftercare

http://www.nih.gov/news/wordonhealth/dec2003/osteo.htm - the low down on osteoporosis

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/osteoporosis/htm/index.htm - osteoporosis tutorial - easiest is to choose the third option and pull up the text version and read the text

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/18026.htm - illustration of a hip fraction on medline plus website

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bonerad&bhcp=1 - what is a bone x-ray?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mobilityaids.html - links to information on assistive devices

as far as the actual nursing care plan goes, you can see an explanation of the nursing process here on this older thread about a patient with an appendicitis https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/appy-195227.html. it includes a list of complications to look for in patients who have had general anesthetic which is something you will need to be watching out for in this patient. for other resources on writing care plans you should also review the posts on these threads if you haven't already done so:

• https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/desperately-need-help-careplans-170689.html - desperately need help with careplans (in nursing student assistance forum)
  
• https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/careplans-help-please-r-t-aeb-121128-7.html - careplans help please! (with the r\t and aeb) (in general nursing student discussion forum)

choosing nursing diagnoses is always based on the symptoms the patient is having. you can assume three symptoms for this patient right off the bat:

• a wound/dressing that will need looking after
  
• postoperative surgical pain
  
• potential breathing problems related to being intubated

these lead to these nursing diagnoses (in priority order):

• impaired skin integrity r/t surgical disruption of tissues [color=#3366ff]http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/evolve/ackley/ndh7e/constructor/careplan_063.php
  
• acute pain r/t surgical disruption of tissues http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/merlin/gulanick/constructor/index.cfm?plan=40 [color=#3366ff]http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/evolve/ackley/ndh7e/constructor/careplan_052.php
  
• risk for ineffective breathing pattern r/t the effects of endotracheal intubation, anesthesia and narcotics http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/merlin/gulanick/constructor/index.cfm?plan=08 [color=#3366ff]http://www1.us.elsevierhealth.com/evolve/ackley/ndh7e/constructor/careplan_011.php

until you know more about the patient and her actual signs and symptoms you will find when you actually get to care for her on tuesday, what else can you plan for? your short term goals are predictions of what should happen when you apply your nursing interventions. for now, i would review the basic nursing care you need to give to a post-op surgical patient.

• assessing and monitoring her respiratory system, the patency of her airway, checking that her lungs are clear or describing any other sounds you hear on auscultation.
  
• she should be deep breathing and coughing and/or use an incentive spirometer at least every hour. sputum isn't usually forthcoming in the first postop day, but these efforts pay off in subsequent days.
  
• vital signs
  
• checking peripheral pulses, checking for peripheral edema, checking for numbness or tingling in the operative limb
  
• assessing the range of motion in all extremities, particularly the operative limb
  
• following the activity and any ambulation orders and that she is moving. if she is not getting out of bed, she should be re-positioned, not necessarily turned, at least every two hours.
  
• assessing her level of consciousness
  
• assess the surgical wound and any drains. note color, presence of any redness, swelling or drainage and what the sutures or staples look like. don't remove the dressing that the doctor put in place in the or. don't remove any dressing without checking with the staff first.
  
• watch her intake and output and if she is nauseated or not.
  
• if iv fluids are still infusing, you'll need to keep on eye on them as well as her iv site. she may be getting iv antibiotics postoperatively.
  
• make sure she is voiding and has voided since surgery.
  
• make sure she is getting adequate pain medication.

pretty much all the above can be worked in as interventions for the three nursing diagnoses i gave you. i leave you and your partner to work this into something more complicated. the goal on postop day #1 is to make sure the patient is recovering from anesthesia, make sure she is comfortable, and watch for the development of any complications.