Nursing Narrative Note Template

Attend to your patient's needs and enhance note-taking procedures within clinical environments without compromise.

By Karina Jimenea on Mar 06, 2024.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

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What Is A Nursing Narrative Note Template

Nursing narrative note templates are commonly used within hospitals for nurses to provide concise information concerning a patient’s condition. They’re a note-taking format that is immensely useful in facilitating higher treatment outcomes and healthcare solutions. Through , you can observe and record all critical information concerning the care received, as well as produce rich insights that highlight the various nuances and subtleties of a patient’s health.

Unlike progress notes, nursing narrative note templates are in paragraph form to allow for a more detailed account of a patient’s health status. Healthcare professionals can receive a full record that captures all details, which may be needed in ambiguous or complicated cases where more information is needed. Integrating narrative nursing note templates can see more efficient care and better development of assessments that directly address both prominent and underlying healthcare issues. Create an accurate storyline of your patient’s healthcare journey, and elevate the level of care in your workplace.

Printable Nursing Narrative Note Template

Download these Treatment Note Templates to improve clinical records, productivity, and patient outcomes.

How To Use This Template For Nursing Narrative Note

In order to use the nursing narrative note example effectively, it’s helpful to consider the following steps. 

Step One: Access the PDF template

To access the nursing narrative note, make sure to download the PDF template, which should open automatically within your PDF reader software. From there, you can fill in and customize the template to match your needs.  

Step Two: Fill in the important credentials

To prevent the document from being mixed up, and to ensure they are authorized, make sure to fill out the full name of your patient, their ID, their gender, their date of birth, as well as the date of your appointment. Signing the document at the bottom completes this process, and ensures that you are responsible for its contents.  

Step Three: Complete the body sections

The next step is to fill in all the body sections of the template. Check over your information to make sure it is accurate, and that it is also concise. Although nursing narrative notes are more detailed than other forms, this doesn’t mean that you should waffle with irrelevant details.

Step Four: Securely store your notes 

Once complete, you’ll need to store the note securely on a HIPAA-compliant platform. This is highly important, as you’re dealing with PHI, which must be protected and at minimal risk from external data breach attempts.

Nursing Narrative Note Example (Sample)

Understanding nursing narrative notes can sometimes be a bit tricky. To help you get started, we’ve created a structure for you to follow in your practice. Simply download the template, and type in the interactive sections straight from the document. If you want to see a sample of a completed nursing narrative note within the context of a patient, we have also created a high-quality example for you.

Download the Nursing Narrative Note Example here: 

Nursing Narrative Note Example (Sample)

Who Can Use this Printable Nursing Narrative Note Template?

Naturally, as the name suggests, nursing narrative notes are designed with nurses’ needs in mind. They are created for nurses and nurse assistants to implement within their clinics and enhance the level of care provided for patients. Because of their universal formatting and structure, they’re not exclusive to a specific type of nursing and can be used for a variety of different purposes. Additionally, no matter how large or small your clinic or organization is, and despite how many patients you see, every nurse can benefit from incorporating narrative notes within their workspace. Implement them to increase efficiency and accuracy, and never look back. 

Nurses across a range of disciplines can successfully use narrative notes, including the following:

  • Registered nurses
  • Cardiac nurse
  • Clinical nurse specialist
  • ER nurse
  • Critical care nurse
  • Geriatric nurse
  • Surgical nurse
  • Mental health nurse
  • Oncology nurse
  • Pediatric nurse
  • Orthopedic nurse

Naturally, each nurse is going to have a different approach when it comes to creating narrative notes. All that you need to focus on is adding valuable information that works towards developing effective treatment plans. Cater the notes to meet your and your client’s needs.

Why Is This Template Useful For Nursing

There are various reasons why this template is useful for nursing, including the following. 

  • Greater organization - Narrative notes are great to organize all your client information in one place. You can easily access important details, and you don’t have to spend any extra time restructuring or rearranging your notes for each client. With an adaptable template that can be customized to different healthcare demands, you can ensure that you’re organizing information far more efficiently. 
  • Standardization - Increase the consistency and readability of your notes, by having the same high-quality notes for all your clients. It’s more important that healthcare is an equal plane, and having standardized notes is the perfect way for you to work towards that. 
  • Easy sharing - Narrative nursing notes are a familiar note-taking form within the healthcare space. This means that you can boost credibility by integrating them within your work, and fellow healthcare professionals can easily understand patient information. This is especially important in the case of referrals, where other health institutions and organizations may need access to your notes.
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Why Use Carepatron For Nursing Narrative Note?

Carepatron is one of the best ways to create and store your nursing narrative notes, in addition to enhancing other aspects of your healthcare operations. As a one-stop shop, Carepatron is an excellent practice management system that can boost the quality of your services, and ensure that you’re continually accommodating patient needs. Access the wide resource library, which is full of valuable templates and guides that are designed with your health goals in mind. Integrate them within your work, and use voice-to-text transcription software to cut down on time spent on administrative tasks. Once your notes are complete, you can store them securely within the HIPAA-compliant platform that utilizes round-the-clock monitoring to protect your information. Encryption works to minimize security breaches and ensures you’re in safe hands. 

Not only this, but Carepatron also offers many other sophisticated features, including appointment reminders and scheduling, video consultations, messaging channels, patient portals, online payments, as well as medical billing and coding processes. Take your nursing skills to the next level, and consider going with a platform used by over 10,000+ other healthcare professionals.

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How do you write a good nursing note?
How do you write a good nursing note?

Commonly asked questions

How do you write a good nursing note?

There’s no one right way to write a good nursing note, however, you should keep a couple of tips in mind. Firstly, keep them concise. Because you’re writing a narrative note, this doesn’t mean that you can write an entire essay about a patient. Sure your note may be more comprehensive than a SOAP, but it still needs to be succinct for clarity. It’s also recommended that you avoid abbreviations to minimize any confusion and that you double-check all medical terms are correctly applied and spelled. It can be very easy to get things wrong when writing notes in the midst of a busy session, so always take the time to review!

Will my patients see this note?

Yes, it’s likely that your patient will view this note, so it’s important to always take an objective stance, and avoid biased or judgmental comments. All statements should be medically-based, and be supported with relevant evidence. This is standard practice and should be carried out regardless of whether your patient views your notes.

What is nursing charting, and how is it different?

Nursing charting is similar to nursing narrative notes in that medical assessment and intervention details are listed. However, nursing charting is more specific and is broken down into specific sections. It considers less insight and is typically used in large organizations that see a large number of patients or during busy periods. Narrative notes are a good way to assess more broadly, with a number of details included for patients with complex health issues.

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