Nursing Care Considerations for Various
Patient Conditions
Take temperature once daily - Monitoring vital signs for patients being discharged home.
Humidifier - Used for patients post-op following tracheostomy with copious secretions.
Avoid injecting insulin into thigh - Can increase absorption rate for PT with type 1 diabetes.
Cover with moist sterile dressing - First action for small bowel protruding from abdominal incision.
Purulent - Type of drainage from dressing that is yellow and thick after cholecystectomy.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding - Signs expected in a patient being evaluated for endometrial cancer.
Altered level of consciousness - Nurse's priority for PT following open reduction and fixation of fractured
femur.
Change nasal drip pad as needed - Action to include in plan for PT who had removal of pituitary gland.
Prevent blood clot formation - Indication for prescribing aspirin following an MI.
Potassium 2.5 - Priority information to identify in a PT with acute gastroenteritis.
I will take tub bath instead of shower - Indicates PT requires more teaching after total hysterectomy.
Take this medication between meals - Instruction for PT taking ferrous gluconate for anemia.
, Avoid medications in capsules and enteric form - Correct teaching for PT who is post-op with an
ileostomy.
Maintain client in fowlers position - Plan of care for PT with intestinal obstruction receiving NG tube
decompression.
Monitor intake and output hourly - Action for nurse caring for PT in oliguric phase of acute kidney injury.
Post-ictal phase - Descriptor to use when documenting a PT difficult to arouse after a generalized tonic-
clonic seizure.
Add thickeners to fluid - Action to assist PT with left sided weakness and dysphagia after stroke.
Reestablish communication - Included in plan for PT with left sided stroke.
Calmly ask the PT if he would like to listen to music - Action for nurse when Alzheimer's PT becomes
agitated during hygiene.
Feel for carotid pulse - First action for nurse caring for PT with heart failure and respiratory arrest.
It must be hard to see your mother so ill and upset - Appropriate response for nurse to PT's adult son
upset over mother crying after stroke.
Forgetfulness gradually progressing into disorientation - Signs of dementia to include in teaching for
family member of PT with dementia.
Monitor platelet levels - Plan of care for PT with DVT of left leg.
Patient Conditions
Take temperature once daily - Monitoring vital signs for patients being discharged home.
Humidifier - Used for patients post-op following tracheostomy with copious secretions.
Avoid injecting insulin into thigh - Can increase absorption rate for PT with type 1 diabetes.
Cover with moist sterile dressing - First action for small bowel protruding from abdominal incision.
Purulent - Type of drainage from dressing that is yellow and thick after cholecystectomy.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding - Signs expected in a patient being evaluated for endometrial cancer.
Altered level of consciousness - Nurse's priority for PT following open reduction and fixation of fractured
femur.
Change nasal drip pad as needed - Action to include in plan for PT who had removal of pituitary gland.
Prevent blood clot formation - Indication for prescribing aspirin following an MI.
Potassium 2.5 - Priority information to identify in a PT with acute gastroenteritis.
I will take tub bath instead of shower - Indicates PT requires more teaching after total hysterectomy.
Take this medication between meals - Instruction for PT taking ferrous gluconate for anemia.
, Avoid medications in capsules and enteric form - Correct teaching for PT who is post-op with an
ileostomy.
Maintain client in fowlers position - Plan of care for PT with intestinal obstruction receiving NG tube
decompression.
Monitor intake and output hourly - Action for nurse caring for PT in oliguric phase of acute kidney injury.
Post-ictal phase - Descriptor to use when documenting a PT difficult to arouse after a generalized tonic-
clonic seizure.
Add thickeners to fluid - Action to assist PT with left sided weakness and dysphagia after stroke.
Reestablish communication - Included in plan for PT with left sided stroke.
Calmly ask the PT if he would like to listen to music - Action for nurse when Alzheimer's PT becomes
agitated during hygiene.
Feel for carotid pulse - First action for nurse caring for PT with heart failure and respiratory arrest.
It must be hard to see your mother so ill and upset - Appropriate response for nurse to PT's adult son
upset over mother crying after stroke.
Forgetfulness gradually progressing into disorientation - Signs of dementia to include in teaching for
family member of PT with dementia.
Monitor platelet levels - Plan of care for PT with DVT of left leg.
