Nursing care plan

A nursing care plan outlines the nursing care to be provided to an individual/family/community. It is a set of actions the nurse will implement to resolve/support nursing diagnoses identified by nursing assessment. The creation of the plan is an intermediate stage of the nursing process. It guides in the ongoing provision of nursing care and assists in the evaluation of that care.

Characteristics of the nursing care plan

1. Its focus is holistic, and is based on the clinical judgment of the nurse, using assessment data collected from a nursing framework.
2. It is based upon identifiable nursing diagnoses (actual, risk or health promotion) - clinical judgments about individual, family, or community experiences/responses to actual or potential health problems/life processes.
3. It focuses on client-specific nursing outcomes that are realistic for the care recipient
4. It includes nursing interventions which are focused on the etiologic or risk factors of the identified nursing diagnoses.
5. It is a product of a deliberate systematic process.
6. It relates to the future.

Elements of the nursing care plan

The nursing care plan consists of a nursing diagnosis with defining characteristics (subjective and objective data that support the diagnosis), related factors or risk factors, expected outcomes/goals, and nursing interventions.

See also

Nursing portal

• NANDA
• Nursing Interventions Classification
• Nursing Outcomes Classification
• Omaha System

v t e Nursing Levels of Practice Generalists Clinical nurse leader Licensed practical nurse Registered nurse Advanced Practice Clinical nurse specialist Nurse anesthetist Nurse midwife Nurse practitioner Nurse education and licensure Associate of Science in Nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing Diploma in Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Master of Science in Nursing Nurse Licensure Compact Nursing credentials and certifications Nursing school NCLEX TEAS test Specialties and areas of practice Ambulatory care Cardiac Critical care Education Emergency Faith community Flight Forensic Geriatrics Holistic Home health Hyperbaric Legal consultation Management Maternal-child Medical-surgical Midwifery Military Neonatal Obstetrics Occupational health Oncology Orthopedics Pediatrics Perianesthesia Perioperative Psychiatric and mental health Private duty School Space WOCN Nursing process Assessment Diagnosis Planning of care Nursing classification systems NANDA Nursing Interventions Classification Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS) Nursing Outcomes Classification Miscellaneous Bullying in nursing Evidence-based nursing List of nurses Men in nursing Nurse-client relationship Nurse-led clinic Nursing history Nursing journals Nursing organizations Nursing research Nurse stereotypes Nursing theory Unlicensed assistive personnel