Sunday, July 21, 2013

Nursing Care Plan Interventions

Long Term Care Nursing Policy

Nursing care plan interventions describe specific actions taken by long term care staff members o achieve the stated goal, and are based on standards of clinical practice. 
The Code of Federal Regulations, F281, states that the services provided or arranged by the facility must meet professional standards of quality and be provided by qualified persons in accordance with each resident’s written nursing care plan. 
Like goals, interventions need to be specific, measurable, appropriate, and realistic. Interventions are worded in terms of what the staff will do to assist the resident to meet the stated goals for the problem, such as: 
Offer resident four ounces of fluid eight times per day. 
“Professional standards of quality” means services that are provided according to accepted standards of clinical practice. Standards regarding quality care practices may be published by a professional organization, licensing board, accreditation body or other regulatory agency. 
Recommended practices to achieve desired resident outcomes may also be found in clinical literature. Possible reference sources for standards of practice include such sources as: 
Current manuals or textbooks on nursing, social work, physical therapy, etc. 
Standards published by professional organizations such as the American Dietetic Association, American Medical Association, American Medical Director’s Association, American Nurses Association, National Association of Activity Professionals, etc. 
Clinical practice guidelines published by the Agency of Health Care Policy and Research 
Current professional journal articles 
Read more about how to write nursing care plans in the book Complete Care Plans for Long Term Care - 143 nursing care plans in the book and on the CD can be made resident specific and converted to I-care plans in one click.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Writing Nursing Care Plan Goals


The nursing care plan goal can be to prevent a potential problem from occurring, to maintain a present status or level of functional ability, or to resolve a currently existing problem. Goals are usually stated in terms of an action the resident will perform. Elements to focus on in writing the goal are that it is: 
Appropriate – for the resident’s needs, strengths, abilities, and cultural background 
Realistic – reasonably attainable 
Measurable – able to be objectively observed and evaluated 
Resident centered – stated in terms of the resident’s actions 
Time framed – gives a target date or time estimate for attainment of the goal 
Individualized – to the resident’s unique deficits, traits, and preferences 
Specific – each problem has a goal specific to it, although each problem may have more than one goal 
Examples: 
Resident will wash face and hands during morning care every day.
Resident will verbalize understanding of the need to comply with diabetic diet. 
Resident will lose one pound per week over the next thirty days.
Read more about how to write nursing care plans in the book Complete Nursing Care Plans for Long Term Care - 143 nursing care plans in the book and on the CD can be made resident specific and converted to I-care plans in one click. 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Finding the Best RN to BSN Online Programs


Nurse Graduate and Director of NursingWeeding through Internet information overload can be difficult when it’s very specific information you want. LTCS Books’ newGuide to Online RN Programs makes this way easier.
For each state online programs are listed and described for every university, giving the exact cost per credit hour and with a link directly to the university’s online RN to BSN or RN to MSN program.
At a glance, find out exactly which universities are offering online RN degrees in your state and exactly what the cost of tuition is. Some programs charge as little as $270 per credit hour, others can run as high as $800 per credit hour. What a difference that can make to a budget!
Having the direct links to the programs enables you to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each program in your state.