Nurses need to have a solid understanding of nursing diagnoses and nursing care plans. The interventions you perform for your patients will have a tremendous impact on their health outcomes and how they cope with their sickness. Show
A serious medical condition that you may encounter during your career is schizophrenia. This mental illness can be detrimental to a person’s quality of life and cause tremendous upheaval in their lives and families. Understanding a bit more about this disease and the types of nursing interventions that can be used to help care for these patients can help you better prepare for your future as a nurse. Here is what you need to know about taking care of patients with schizophrenia. What is schizophrenia? Symptoms to knowSchizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that impacts a person’s ability to think clearly. It can result in impairments such as losing touch with reality, psychosis, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. Schizophrenia impacts less than 1% of the population. Doctors and researchers continue to look for better treatments to help patients improve their quality of life and lessen the recurrence of symptoms. This illness appears to impact both men and women at equal rates and occurs at similar rates worldwide. Symptoms of schizophrenia are typically grouped into three categories. Positive symptoms are symptoms experienced by patients that do not occur in people with typical brains. Negative symptoms are those traits lacking in patients that a member of the typical population would have. Finally, the third category would be disorganized symptoms. Some of the symptoms of schizophrenia include: Positive symptoms
Negative symptoms
Disorganized symptoms
Symptoms often first appear for patients around early adulthood. Since this disorder can cause impaired cognition through problems with thinking, concentration, and memory, there is often a noticeable decline in academics — which hinders those preparing to enter adulthood. Many people also find social situations increasingly challenging as the disorder emerges. Although schizophrenia does not generally manifest until young adulthood, many believe the causes likely begin much earlier. Scientists haven’t found one main cause of the disorder, but changes in the brain’s neurotransmitters, environmental factors, and genetics have all been named as potential contributing factors. Determining a nursing diagnosis for schizophreniaDiagnosing schizophrenia, like other mental health disorders, is done using the guidelines found in the DSM-5. The DSM stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual says that practitioners qualified to diagnose patients should see at least two of the following symptoms for a minimum of a month before making the diagnosis:
In addition to watching for these symptoms, practitioners must also take essential steps to make sure that no other potential disorders could cause these symptoms. They will complete a thorough psychiatric evaluation to check for evidence of any other mental health disorders and gauge the patient’s presenting symptoms. The evaluation will look for signs of other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder or other causes of psychotic episodes. To check for other possible causes, a thorough diagnosis of schizophrenia will also include a comprehensive physical exam. During the physical exam, the medical professional will also run lab tests to check for drugs or medical conditions that could cause symptoms mistaken for schizophrenia. Symptoms like disturbed sensory perception and impaired social interaction should all be carefully evaluated as a part of this process. This exam may also include brain imaging, such as a CT scan or an MRI. As a nurse, you will also make nursing diagnoses that will inform your care plan. Your diagnosis might include:
Creating a Schizophrenia nursing care planA nursing care plan details the steps that you will take as a registered nurse to help patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. These care plans will target specific desirable outcomes, helping patients better cope with certain symptoms. To determine the type of nursing care plan you’ll follow for a given patient, consider the type of symptoms that the patient suffers from the most. For example, one patient may find their impaired verbal communication to be the most disruptive. They may struggle tremendously with an inability to communicate with those around them. Another patient may be most disrupted by the paranoia and psychosis that plagues them. As a nurse, you will need to carefully evaluate the patient. Look over the list of nursing diagnoses we gave you above to see which ones your patient meets the criteria for. This diagnosis will help you determine the types of interventions that will make the biggest difference. You can then prioritize the actions in your care plan. Identifying these key symptoms and nursing diagnoses can help you determine the nursing care plan that will best suit this specific patient. Schizophrenia nursing care plan exampleAs an example, let’s consider a patient who has been struggling with verbal communication. Schizophrenia has made it extremely difficult for them to use typical communication patterns and engage with others. They might also struggle with delusions and hallucinations, which may further isolate them from others in their lives. In this particular situation, your nursing care plan will focus on helping the patient better manage their symptoms and improve their communication. First, break down each step you’ll follow to create a well-structured care plan.
As your patient receives this care, continue to communicate with the rest of the healthcare team. Monitor the patient’s condition to see how well they respond to your interventions, and watch for signs of side effects from the medication. This will help you know how to make adjustments moving forward. Schizophrenia nursing interventionsNursing interventions for patients with schizophrenia can take a variety of different formats. The interventions will depend upon the symptoms experienced by the patient and their degree of severity. Overall, all interventions focus on improving the quality of life for the patient. You want to help them better cope with their symptoms and gain more independence and autonomy.
Studying for the NCLEX exam? SimpleNursing can helpAs you study serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, you may wonder how to keep all the information straight and ready for you to use on your exam. You need the support of quality study aids to understand and master the material better. SimpleNursing is here to help. We offer comprehensive resources for planning for the NCLEX-RN exam. With study materials ranging from practice tests to guides, we make preparing for your big nursing exams easier. What are the 5 nursing interventions?These are assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
What is disturbed sensory perception?Disturbed Sensory Perception is a NANDA nursing diagnosis that pertains to an alteration in the response to stimuli, which can be either a weaker or a stronger response to them.
What are some nursing interventions for schizophrenia?Nursing Interventions. Establish trust and rapport. ... . Maximize level of functioning. ... . Promote social skills. ... . Ensure safety. ... . Ensure adequate nutrition. ... . Keep it real. ... . Deal with hallucinations by presenting reality. ... . Promote compliance and monitor drug therapy.. What are 4 interventions that the nurse should do?Common nursing interventions include:. Bedside care and assistance.. Administration of medication.. Postpartum support.. Feeding assistance.. Monitoring of vitals and recovery progress.. |