Nursing care plan for agitation

Introduction

Agitation is an unpleasant mental state characterized by restlessness and anxiety. Agitation can be caused by many different factors, such as physical pain, a change in environment, fear, or any form of distress. It is important to diagnose the cause of agitation and provide nursing care to address the underlying problem.

Assessment

Physical Assessment: A physical assessment should include vital signs, behavior changes, visual examination, and any other symptoms the patient may be experiencing.

Psychosocial Assessment: Assess the patient's psychological state including they mood and feelings, social interactions, and behavior.

Nursing Diagnosis

Ineffective Coping: The patient demonstrates unmet goals related to the inability to effectively cope with identified stressors that result in agitation.

Impaired Comfort: The patient experiences physical distress, embarrassment, or discomfort resulting in agitation.

Outcomes

The patient will:

• Express comfort and decrease level of distress
• Demonstrate improved coping strategies
• Increase knowledge about management of agitation

Interventions

• Provide a calm, distraction-free environment
• Talk to the patient in a calm, reassuring voice
• Encourage the use of relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, and self-talk
• Validate the patient's feelings and offer empathetic support
• Explore patient's primary concerns and offer appropriate corrective measures
• Reassure the patient of their safety
• Encourage the patient to take part in group activities
• Educate the patient on how to cope with agitation and how to manage their triggers

Rationales

• Providing a calm environment will help to reduce the patient's agitation.
• Talking to the patient in a calm, reassuring voice will help to build trust and foster a feeling of safety.
• Relaxation techniques can help the patient to reduce their level of agitation and manage their stress more effectively.
• Validating the patient's feelings and offering empathetic support can help to create an atmosphere of understanding and trust.
• Exploring the patient's primary concerns and offering appropriate corrective measures can help to address the root cause of the agitation.
• Reassuring the patient of their safety can help to create a feeling of security which can help to reduce their level of agitation.
• Encouraging the patient to take part in group activities can help to reduce their level of isolation which can decrease their level of agitation.
• Educating the patient on how to cope with agitation and how to manage their triggers can help to prevent further instances of agitation.

Evaluation

The patient's conditions and responses to the intervention should be monitored closely to assess the success of the nursing care plan.

Conclusion

When dealing with a patient experiencing agitation, it is important to identify the cause of the agitation and provide nursing care tailored to address the underlying problem. By providing a calming environment, validating the patient's feelings, exploring the causes of agitation, reinforcing safety, encouraging group activities, and providing education about coping techniques, nurses can help the patient manage their agitation more effectively.

FAQs

• What if the patient cannot identify the cause of their agitation?
  If the patient is unable to identify the cause of their agitation, it is important to provide additional assessment and explore any underlying issues that could be causing the distress.
• What if the agitation persists despite interventions?
  If the patient's agitation persists despite interventions, the nursing care plan should be reassessed and any additional resources and interventions necessary should be implemented.
• Can medication be used to manage agitation?
  Medication may be used to manage agitation in some cases, depending on the underlying cause of the agitation. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of any medications with the patient before prescribing.
• How can I help the patient manage their agitation long-term?
  Nursing interventions should focus on helping the patient develop healthy coping strategies and managing their triggers over the long-term.
• What should be done if the patient becomes violent?
  If the patient becomes violent, it is important to take steps to ensure everyone's safety by contacting security, removing objects from the environment that may be used as weapons, and restraining the patient if necessary.