Nursing interventions. Help.

[shellissy]

In my program we have just begun doing care plans and it's quite challenging for me. I've done a lot of reading and listening and think I'm getting better at understanding what I need to choose for a nursing diagnosis...my main issue is knowing what to put for the interventions. I feel like my knowledge isn't up to par and it's discouraging me.

The pt I'm currently assigned to has acute bowel obstruction, so I decided to choose, as my diagnosis, Abdominal Pain, then realized that's not a NANDA, so I've thought of changing it to acute pain. Could I put r/t bowel obstruction aeb verbalization and grimacing?? Or am I not to include the medical diagnosis anywhere in my care plan? My biggest issue is the nursing intervention....I don't know what to do. I feel like I don't know how to ease the pain, so I have no idea what to put. Is my lack of knowledge the issue here?? Please provide some insight.

Much appreciated.

[pnkgirl25]

I just posted about this same thing. We started care plans this weeks and so far I love them but am looking for more ways to practice applying NANDA approved DX. Do you happen to know of a website that gives your pt scenarios that then list correct NANDA DX along with sample goals and interventions? I could do this all night. I actually find it kinda fun. Kinda like a puzzle.

[Compassion_x]

Yes, you could put r/t bowel obstruction aeb verbalization and grimacing. As for if it's the correct first priority nursing dx, we would need more information. And if you get a care plan book there are various interventions listed for every diagnosis.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Whether or not you can have a medical dx in the r/t spot is up to the instructor.

When I was in LPN school we could NOT have a med dx in the r/t spot, we had to reword it. In my RN program we were told to put what ever r/t factors that were listed w/the NANDA in our Ackely book. In the Ackely book it does have medical diagnosis in their r/t factors so we can use them and do use them

I'd think it would just be best for you to ask your instructor if you are allowed to use medical dx.

I'm assuming you don't have a care plan book. My suggestion..GET ONE ASAP. Each NANDA will have a ton of interventions for the NANDA.

For pain, things you can do to try to allevate it...how about positioning the patient, encouraging ambulation, giving ordered pain meds, what are the aggravating factors of the patients pain ie:ambulation, movement, etc. Teach non-pharmacologic ways to ease pain (deep breathing, visulization, music etc). What do YOU do when you are in pain to try and ease it, those same things can be done for a patient. :)

Nursing Resources - Care Plans

EHS: Nursing Care Planning Guides - Care Planner TOC

Free Nursing Care Plans - Sample Nursing Careplans

When in doubt you can always google the NANDA and put something like "nursing care plan for acute pain" or goggle what you've decided is the priority issue and google that like say "nursing care plan for bowel obstruction". I would never copy the care plan you find but you can see what the intervetions might be that could be specific to your patient.