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Introduction for Nursing Diagnosis: Discomfort
Discomfort is a subjective sensation of physical uneasiness and distress experienced by individual. It is a condition or feeling experienced by most individuals that may range from mild to severe in intensity and duration. Discomfort is often the body’s way of signaling something is wrong and should not be ignored. This nursing diagnosis can help nurses assess and manage their patient’s discomfort and provide appropriate interventions for it.
Nursing Diagnosis Definition
Nursing Diagnosis – Discomfort: an unpleasant subjective feeling of uneasiness, pain, or hurt.
Defining Characteristics
Subjectives
- Verbalizes discomfort
- Reports discomfort
- Reports severity of discomfort on a scale of 0 to 10
Objectives
- Changes in posture or positioning
- Presence of behaviors indicative of discomfort (e.g., groaning, grimacing, moaning, restlessness, agitation)
- Photophobia
- Altered breathing (e.g., rate, depth, irregularity)
- Anxiety
- Inadequate relief of pain
- Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements
- Activity intolerance
- Physical insult/injury/trauma
- Environmental stimuli
- Medical procedure
- Psychological factors
Risk Population
- Infants and toddlers
- Children
- Adolescents
- Adults
- Older adults
Associated Problems
- Sleep deprivation
- Low self-esteem
- Decreased quality of life
- Impaired physical mobility
- Decreased fitness level
Suggestions for Use
- Manage discomfort through appropriate use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions
- Evaluate effectiveness of intervention steps to ensure positive outcomes in treatment of discomfort
- Educate patient on discomfort management to instill healthy lifestyle habits that reduce immediate symptoms as well as long-term chronic effects
Suggested Alternative Nursing Diagnoses
- Ineffective breathing pattern
- Ineffective coping
- Chronic pain
- Impaired physical mobility
- Risk for impaired skin integrity
- Impaired comfort
- Impaired verbal communication
- Social isolation
Usage Tips
- Ensure proper treatment plan is in place to appropriately address its associated problems.
- Evaluate patient’s comfort level at each visit to identify changes in the patient’s status.
- Encourage patient participation to improve comfort and make decisions that will improve outcome.
- Assess patient’s beliefs and values connected to comfort.
- Identify verbal and nonverbal cues of discomfort.
NOC Results
- Comfort level: Patient’s level of comfort as evidenced by verbal reports and absence of physical distress indicators.
- Skin integrity: Glowing, radiating, unblemished, missing tissue, ulcerations, localized warmth.
- Nutritional status: Intake, digestion, absorption, energy-level, weight, growth, BMI.
- Mobility: Ability to move self and body parts actively and/or passively.
- Activity level: Desire to participate in social, recreational and/or occupational activities.
NIC Interventions
- Distraction: Provide alternative methods for patient to focus on to lessen pain and discomfort.
- Heat/cold application: Apply to affected area, depending on patient's preferences.
- Rest/sleep promotion: Determine and decrease interruptions to sleep.
- Patient control: Assess patient's preferred degree of involvement in decision-making process.
- Non-pharmacologic relief measures: Encourage patient to practice relaxation techniques, such as deep-breathing.
- Provide diversional activity: Suggest patient use music, art, games and other activities to take attention away from discomfort.
Conclusion and FAQ
nursing diagnosis - Discomfort is an important nursing diagnosis to understand and manage discomfort. Proper assessment of the patient’s discomfort, evaluation of interventions and implementation of suggestions can be effective tools to improve the patient’s comfort level. Depending on the level of severity and cause, appropriate treatments can range from non-invasive approaches to medication-based methods.
Frequently asked questions about Discomfort include:
- What are common causes of discomfort?
- How can I tell if a patient is experiencing discomfort?
- What kind of interventions can be used to manage discomfort?
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