Gi Bleed Nursing Care Plan
Crafting a comprehensive GI bleed nursing care plan is essential for effective management of gastrointestinal bleeding. Download a free template and example here.
Fact Checked by Nate Lacson.
What is a GI Bleed Nursing Care Plan Template?
A gastrointestinal (GI) bleed refers to bleeding within the digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, or large intestine. Sometimes referred to as a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, It can present as either an upper GI bleed (from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum) or a lower GI bleed (from the colon or rectum). GI bleeding can range from mild to severe and can manifest as either overt bleeding, whereby there is visible blood in vomit or stool, or as occult bleeding. The latter is not visible to the naked eye and may present with lightheadedness, difficulty breathing, fainting, and pain.
The causes of GI bleeds vary and can include conditions such as peptic ulcers, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, tumors, or vascular malformations. Symptoms can range from subtle signs like fatigue and pallor to more severe manifestations such as vomiting blood (hematemesis) or passing black, tarry stools (melena). GI bleed nursing care plans hold significant value in managing this condition due to their comprehensive approach. Standardized and effective care delivery can be ensured by focusing on assessment, interventions, diagnostic support, medication management, and the monitoring and prevention of complications.
GI bleeds can affect individuals of any age, yet certain populations are more at risk of developing the condition. Men are more likely to have vascular disorders and diverticulosis compared to the female population, and the risk increases with age. Elderly patients who take blood thinners or non-steroid anti-inflammatories, as well as host an array of comorbidities, are at higher risk of internal bleeding, as well as patients with inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Patients who suffer from alcoholism have an increased risk of developing gastritis, ulcers, and liver disease, all of which contribute to a higher risk of GI bleeding.
Printable Gi Bleed Nursing Care Plan PDF
Check out our free Gi Bleed Nursing Care Plan PDF here
How does it work?
Step One: Gather your resources
GI Bleed nursing care plans are a valuable resource and essential to keep on hand. Make sure that you have a copy of the free printable PDF when the need arises by either clicking the “Download Template” or “Use Template” button or by searching “GI bleed nursing care plan” on Carepatron’s template library’s search bar on the website or app.
Step Two: Collate essential information
Once the patient has been diagnosed and assessed for internal bleeding, utilizing the Gi bleed nursing care plan template to ensure all goals of care are met is both seamless and easily accessible to relevant parties via Carepatron's centralized workspace.
Assessment, symptom management, and interventions can be collated within the single care plan and safely stored on a single database. The care plan allows for individualized treatment options and acts as a scaffolding to ensure goals of care are met, and the next steps are recorded for future reference or for distribution to other healthcare specialists who are part of the patient's care team.
Step Three: Store the chart securely
After reviewing the GI bleed nursing care plan and creating a viable and individualized plan for the patient, you need to secure the plan so that access is only granted to relevant parties.
Ensure this through Carepatrons HIPAA-compliant free patient records software. Here, all relevant medical records can be safely stored and collated for ease and security.
GI Bleed Nursing Care Plan example (sample)
Eager to utilize this essential care planning tool? Acquire a free, downloadable, and printable GI bleed nursing care plan template PDF that comes pre-filled with fictional data to help you confidently track your patient's needs or act as an educational tool.
Our crafted sample template is designed to assist you in efficiently utilizing the chart and evaluating the goals of care for patients with internal bleeding. It includes dedicated sections for evaluation, interventions, and symptom tracking.
Secure your copy by either previewing the sample below or clicking the "Download Example PDF" button.
Download our free GI Bleed Nursing Care Plan example PDF
When would you use this template?
A GI bleed nursing care plan can be used in various scenarios where a patient presents with gastrointestinal bleeding. Some situations where this care plan might be implemented include:
Hospitalized patients
Individuals admitted to hospitals due to gastrointestinal bleeding, which could result from ulcers, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, or other GI disorders.
Emergency room visits
Patients arriving at the emergency room with symptoms such as hematemesis (vomiting blood), melena (black, tarry stools), hematochezia (bright red blood in stools), or signs of significant blood loss.
Post-surgical complications
After certain surgeries involving the gastrointestinal tract, there can be complications leading to bleeding that require immediate attention and management.
Chronic conditions
Patients with chronic gastrointestinal conditions, such as peptic ulcers or esophageal varices, may experience recurrent bleeding episodes, necessitating ongoing nursing care plans.
Outpatient clinics
Individuals receiving outpatient care for chronic GI conditions who experience sudden onset or exacerbation of bleeding symptoms might require immediate intervention and a structured care plan.
What do the results mean?
GI bleeding can be referred to in two separate clinical syndromes, either upper GI bleeding or lower GI bleeding. A diagnosis is often formed from the direct observation of blood in the stool or vomit, yet the differentiation of an upper or lower bleed can be somewhat difficult to diagnose.
Healthcare professionals favor using the Rockall scale to determine the severity of upper GI bleeding, and using a gastric aspiration to determine the presence of blood in the stomach can help point to a diagnosis of upper GI bleeding. Imaging such as a CT angiography helps determine the exact location of the bleed for appropriate treatment and intervention. The presence of a GI bleed is not a stand-alone disease but rather an indication of an underlying health problem that calls for further investigation and testing.
Upper GI bleed
A bleed that is situated between the pharynx and the ligament of Treitz and is characterized by blood, vomiting, and stool is classed as an upper GI bleed. This particular bleed is mostly caused by peptic ulcer disease and esophageal inflammation. The use of medications such as NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors dramatically increases the risk of developing an upper bleed, with corticosteroids and anticoagulants also increasing the risk.
Lower GI bleed
Situated in the colon, rectum, or anus, this particular bleed location is often caused by the presence of hemorrhoids, some cancers, angiodysplasia, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. This type of bleed is often characterized by the passing of fresh blood rectally with the lack of blood present within vomit. This type of bleed can also lead to melena should the bleed be situated in the small intestine or proximal colon.
Why use Carepatron as Your GI Bleed Nursing Care Plan app?
Selecting Carepatron as your preferred application for creating GI bleed nursing care plans offers numerous advantages for healthcare practitioners.
Carepatron provides a centralized workspace, allowing you to manage clinical documents and electronic patient records, set patient appointment reminders, and handle medical billing seamlessly and efficiently within the platform, eliminating the need for additional software downloads.
This integrated and comprehensive approach simplifies and streamlines processes and tasks related to internal bleeding management, care, and various other activities, giving you peace of mind and allowing you to focus most of your time, attention, and effort on patient care.
Carepatron is dedicated to offering a highly efficient and productive platform for thousands of healthcare professionals, allowing you to customize tools and workflows to meet your unique needs. Additionally, it empowers practitioners and patients to manage administrative tasks such as service booking and completing paperwork. The easy sharing of essential documents and data through the app ensures a top-quality customer experience.
We strongly believe in providing radical accessibility, making our app available on any device you have at your disposal. Our portable medical dictation software simplifies clinical note-making and updates, ensuring an effortless process. With great accessibility comes great responsibility, and we prioritize the security of all notes, clinical records, results, and practitioner data by complying with global security requirements, including HIPAA, GDPR, and HITRUST.
References
DiGregorio, A. M., & Alvey, H. (2019, April 10). Gastrointestinal Bleeding. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537291/
Farrell, J. J., & Friedman, L. S. (2001). GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING IN THE ELDERLY. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, 30(2), 377–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-8553(05)70187-4
Gaiani, F., De’Angelis, N., Kayali, S., Manfredi, M., Di Mario, F., Leandro, G., Ghiselli, A., Fornaroli, F., & DeAngelis, G. L. (2018). Clinical approach to the patient with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis, 89(8-S), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v89i8-S.7861
Strate, L. L., Ayanian, J. Z., Kotler, G., & Syngal, S. (2008). Risk Factors for Mortality in Lower Intestinal Bleeding. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 6(9), 1004–1010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2008.03.021
Strate, L. L., & Gralnek, I. M. (2016). ACG Clinical Guideline: Management of Patients With Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 111(5), 755. https://doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2016.155
Commonly asked questions
To create a comprehensive nursing care plan for GI bleeding management, simply create a customized plan from the scaffolding provided by Carepatron and cater to the patient's needs through the key aspects of assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation.
These valuable plan templates can be used at any point in the treatment journey for a patient who has had an internal bleed to track, monitor, and plan all interventions by healthcare professionals and the patient themselves.
Gi bleed nursing care plan templates are used to plan efficient and confident care delivery. They are designed to be customized to meet the individual patient's needs.
A nurse will use this GI bleed care plan to help outline treatments and planning, yet the template can be easily used and managed by any healthcare professional, even as an educational tool for the patient's own self-management.
