Prioritizing

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Specializes in Urgent Care / Family Practice.

So my friend and I are working on care plans and we are arguing about prioritizing. Let me know if this is correct:

1.Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements

2. Constipation

3. Activity intolerance

4. Risk for falls

5. Risk for loneliness

Please and thank you!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Priority is going to be based on the patient's nursing assessment. There is no set rule to priority. Do you have a rationale for why you've chosen your priority diagnosis?

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Specializes in Urgent Care / Family Practice.

Thank you for replying!

I prioritized her imbalanced nutrition due to the week I assessed her she wasn't eating d/t being sick with the flu and her being nauseous every time she ate

Her constipation (chronic) because shes on narco

(the risk fors I know are right.. its just the first two that I find difficult prioritizing)

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I haven't been a student for a while, but that's not the order I would chose. Which problem could cause an immediate, serious injury and even result in the patient's death? Did you also choose the diagnoses? If you did, they may need some work, as well. If they were given to you, carry on... ;)

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I think you are correct. Acute ranks chronic.

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It all depends on the assessment for that individual patient. For instance, risk for falls could potentially take priority over all the others if your patient is elderly and on Coumadin. Need more info!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
So my friend and I are working on care plans and we are arguing about prioritizing. Let me know if this is correct:

1.Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements

2. Constipation

3. Activity intolerance

4. Risk for falls

5. Risk for loneliness

Please and thank you!

What semester are you? What care plan resource are you using?

It is difficult to answer this correctly because prioritization depends on the assessment of the patient, If the patient isn't eating because she is ill and complaining of nausea wouldn't nausea be a better priority diagnosis?

NANDA-IDefinition: A subjective, phenomenon of an unpleasant feeling in the back of the throat and stomach, which may or may not result in vomiting

Defining Characteristics: Aversion to food; gagging sensation; increase in salivation; increase in swallowing; nausea; sour taste

All care plans are based off the assessment of the patient. It is the recipe card on how to care for the patient so that the next nurse will know what to look for and treat the patient.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Thank you for replying!

I prioritized her imbalanced nutrition due to the week I assessed her she wasn't eating d/t being sick with the flu and her being nauseous every time she ate

Her constipation (chronic) because shes on narco

(the risk fors I know are right.. its just the first two that I find difficult prioritizing)

When you look at NANDA it gives you the definition of all the diagnoses and the related to that you look for. Constipation has two definitions....acute and chronic. If this patient has been sick with the flu....does she have a fever? Is she drinking enough with the nausea? What is her hydration status? Is she orthostatic ?

Your patient is going to continue to have an imbalanced nutrition until you cure/treat her nausea which makes nausea the priority diagnosis.

See how the assessment can change what is important? What is the patient assessment?

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Do you have any background on the patient? I would generally think that your order is correct... I might maybe put risk for fall ahead of activity intolerance.

Good luck on your assignment

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