5 Ways to Provide Successful Patient-Centered Care
Nursing care plans are designed to lay out a patient's assessment, identify clear goals, and justify any interventions given.
This allows other nurses to follow clear care guidelines, so the patient receives a consistent experience and is given a higher chance for a positive outcome.
The importance of nursing care plans requires nurses to be diligent and avoid common mistakes that reduce their benefit.
Learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes made when creating a nurse care plan.
5 Nursing Care Plan Mistakes You Should Avoid
1. Focusing too much on the medicine
The ultimate goal of any medical professional is to heal, but it's possible to become too focused on the medicine, forgetting the individual patient's unique needs.
"Too often, the nursing care plan takes on a medical focus, with a medical diagnosis being the problem," says Haleigh Ehmsen, Assistant Director of Integrated Communications at Saint Mary's College.
"But nursing care plans should focus on the patient and, more importantly, how the medical diagnosis impacts the patient."
2. Unrealistic goals and interventions
Goals and interventions are an important part of any nursing care plan. Their critical functions are the reason nurses must take care to be realistic.
"Goals should be specific and tailored to the patient," explains Ehmsen. "Interventions should be specific, realistic, and appropriate for the patient ... The focus of any nursing care plan is the patient."
Ensure the goals are designed to meet the patient's needs and the interventions are within the patient's abilities.
3. Leaving out details
The key to solid nursing care plans is to make sure you have all the information necessary. Communicate clearly with the patient and their family to get a whole picture view of the situation.
Ensure every detail is included in the care plan so other nurses can work from the same level of information.
4. Not double-checking for errors
Errors in documentation lead to medical errors in care; therefore, it's critical to look over your completed nursing care plan for possible mistakes.
An extra once-over helps protect your patient from dangerous miscalculations or communication errors.
Verifying that your nurse care plan is free of errors also protects your position, professional reputation, and the hospital from potential litigation should something go wrong.
5. Underestimating the importance of a nursing care plan
Although nursing grads often see the nursing care plan as an inconvenience, it serves many important functions. For example:
- Promotes continuity of care
- Serves as legal documentation of care
- It is used by insurance companies to justify reimbursement
- Identifies specific staff needs
- Clearly lays out care goals
- Creates patient-focused, individualized care instructions
- It gives contract nurses autonomy to make decisions for their patient's well-being
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