The care of a patient with cardiovascular disorders - a case study based on ICNP®

Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases still remain the chief life-threatening condition in Poland. They are one of the main causes of sickness absences at work, as well as reasons for hospitalization and disabilities. The professionals responsible for providing nursing services to people suffering from cardiovascular diseases should take into account the activities addressing all spheres of patient’s life. Most attention should be paid to preventing complications, as well as interventions enabling both the patients to perform selfmonitoring and self-care and their relatives to provide unprofessional care. Aim. The aim of this work was to formulate a nursing care plan for a patient suffering from cardiovascular diseases, using the International Classification for Nursing Practice. Material and methods. For the purpose of this article, an individual case study method and literature analysis were used. The research was conducted in November 2015 at the Clinic of Hypertension and Diabetes of the University Clinical Centre at the Medical University of Gdańsk. Written consents were obtained from every patient. Results. In the process of providing nursing care to the patients, phrases describing “ready” diagnoses and nursing interventions included in the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®) were used. The care plans included the following nursing diagnoses: impaired cardiovascular system, altered blood pressure, pain, functional dyspnea, peripheral edema, impaired sleep, risk of infection, obesity, lack of knowledge about the disease/ poor self-control. Conclusions. The plan of nursing care for patients with cardiovascular diseases was based on the ICNP® reference terminology that fully reflects the key problems of the patient and the scope of interventions made by nurses.