Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan
Confidently manage and monitor pneumonia and its risks through this comprehensive nursing care plan and guide for the delivery of effective and preventive care!
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What is a Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan Template?
Encountering and managing pneumonia stands as one of the most frequent infections nurses will face. Nurses must comprehend the indicators of deteriorating infection, potential complications, and the underlying rationale behind treatments, making this pneumonia nursing care plan an essential and extremely valuable tool. Playing a pivotal role in preventing pneumonia through educational initiatives, nurses are at the forefront of pneumonia care. Immuno-suppressed patients, such as those with COPD, HIV, or autoimmune diseases, should receive education to empower and mitigate risks regarding their susceptibility. The promotion and evaluation of pneumonia vaccinations for eligible groups and smoking cessation are all education initiatives that help with the prevention and management of the infection.
Pneumonia, an infection affecting the lungs caused by bacteria or viruses, generally poses minimal risk to healthy individuals and typically doesn’t necessitate hospitalization. However, individuals at heightened risk, such as the very young or elderly, those with compromised immune systems, or existing respiratory conditions, may require hospital care and treatment.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia, which manifests after a patient has been hospitalized for over 48 hours, is notably prevalent in intensive care units and often emerges following intubation and ventilation support. These critically ill patients face a substantial mortality rate ranging from 25% to 50% (Doenges et al., 2016).
In contrast, community-acquired pneumonia manifests outside medical facilities. The transmission of the bacteria or viruses typically occurs through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing, which individuals subsequently inhale. Additionally, germs can spread by touching contaminated objects and then transferring them to the nose or mouth. A nursing care plan to manage the infection both in hospital settings and within the community helps with the planning and management of effective intervention.
Printable Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan
Download this Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan for preventing pneumonia through educational initiatives, nurses are at the forefront of pneumonia care.
How does it work?
Step One: Gather your resources
Pneumonia 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 “ pneumonia 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 with pneumonia, utilizing the pneumonia nursing care plan template to ensure all goals of care are met is 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 pneumonia 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.
Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan example (sample)
Eager to utilize this essential care planning tool? Acquire a free, downloadable, and printable pneumonia 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 diagnosed with pneumonia. 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 this Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan example:
When would you use this template?
A pneumonia nursing care plan is utilized across various healthcare settings when managing patients diagnosed with pneumonia. Below are some key scenarios in which this plan has value:
Hospital Admissions
During hospitalizations for patients with pneumonia, especially those requiring intensive care or respiratory support. Here, the nursing plan guides nurses and healthcare teams in administering antibiotics, and oxygen therapy, monitoring vital signs, and managing complications.
Emergency Department Visits
For patients presenting with acute respiratory symptoms suggestive of pneumonia, such as cough, fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. A pneumonia care plan helps healthcare providers conduct rapid assessments, initiate treatments, and determine the need for hospital admission.
Outpatient Settings
In primary care clinics or urgent care centers where patients with mild to moderate pneumonia may seek treatment, a care plan assists healthcare providers in prescribing appropriate antibiotics, monitoring symptoms, and providing guidance for at-home care.
Long-Term Care Facilities
Within nursing homes or rehabilitation centers where residents develop pneumonia, a care plan ensures prompt identification of symptoms, coordination with healthcare providers, and implementation of treatment while considering the complex needs of residents.
Home Healthcare Services
For patients receiving home health services while recovering from pneumonia, a care plan focuses on medication adherence, oxygen therapy if needed, monitoring respiratory status, and providing education for self-management at home.
Pediatric Care
In pediatric clinics or hospital wards where children develop pneumonia, a nursing care plan tailors interventions to address the unique needs of pediatric patients, including appropriate medication dosages, monitoring for complications, and supporting families in managing care at home.
Respiratory Therapy Units
In specialized units focused on respiratory care, the care plan guides nurses and respiratory therapists in providing targeted treatments, oxygen support, and monitoring respiratory status for patients with severe pneumonia.
What do the results mean?
Ineffective Airway Clearance
The presence of pneumonia may potentially increase the production of sputum, causing distress and difficulty for the patient to clear airways. Commonly related to a poor cough reflex or comorbidities such as COPD, asthma, or cystic fibrosis, this may be evidenced by the following:
- Shortness of breath
- Weakened lung sounds
- Ineffective coughing
- Sputum production
- Change in respiratory rate and rhythm
Through the careful monitoring of respiratory changes and an assessment of the ability and effectiveness of the patient's cough, this complication can then be appropriately treated. A sputum sample for culture may be taken to identify the specific bacteria involved in the infection. Common interventions include but are not limited to:
- Use of respiratory devices such as flutter valves to mobilize secretions, proper education should be given to the patient on how to effectively use this intervention.
- Potential suction especially for patients who have had a tracheostomy.
- Nebulizer treatment or other pharmacological intervention to loosen secretions or thin them for ease while coughing.
- Immobile patients should be assisted with movement and positioning changes to promote lung expansion.
Impaired Gas Exchange
Closely related to inflammation and ineffective airway clearance, this particular result calls for the use of a nursing care plan to reduce the production of pus and mucus in the alveoli which can often happen with the presence of infection. This build-up can potentially hinder gas exchange and oxygenation. This may be evidenced through:
- Dyspnea
- Hypoxemia
- Restlessness
- Alterations in breathing patterns
- Confusion
To assess, lung sounds and vital signs should be monitored as well as any changes in mental status. A decreased sp02 indicates hypoxia, if arterial blood gas measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide are abnormal then the patient is at risk and poor perfusion of tissues may occur. Common interventions within a pneumonia nursing care plan may involve:
- Encouragement of rest and reduced exertion to limit oxygen consumption.
- The prescription of narcotics and sedation should be used with extreme caution when managing pain or anxiety as they have the potential to suppress the respiratory system.
- Provide oxygen supplementation to maintain sp02 levels.
Why use Carepatron as Your Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan app?
Selecting Carepatron as your preferred application for creating pneumonia 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 pneumonia 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
Arnold, F. W., Wiemken, T. L., Peyrani, P., Ramirez, J. A., & Brock, G. N. (2013). Mortality differences among hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia in three world regions: Results from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) International Cohort Study. Respiratory Medicine, 107(7), 1101–1111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2013.04.003
Doenges, M. E., Mary Frances Moorhouse, Murr, A. C., & Bligh, D. (2016). Nursing diagnosis manual : planning, individualizing, and documenting client care. F.A. Davis Company.
F, B., A, A., M, W., & L, B. (2013, May 1). Hospital-acquired Pneumonia and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Recent Advances in Epidemiology and Management. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23524477/
Ramirez, J. A., Wiemken, T. L., Peyrani, P., Arnold, F. W., Kelley, R., Mattingly, W. A., Nakamatsu, R., Pena, S., Guinn, B. E., Furmanek, S. P., Persaud, A. K., Raghuram, A., Fernandez, F., Beavin, L., Bosson, R., Fernandez-Botran, R., Cavallazzi, R., Bordon, J., Valdivieso, C., & Schulte, J. (2017). Adults Hospitalized With Pneumonia in the United States: Incidence, Epidemiology, and Mortality. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(11), 1806–1812. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix647
S, J., Wh, S., Rg, W., S, F., R, B., Am, B., C, R., Cg, G., Ej, A., Dm, C., Jd, C., C, Q., Em, H., F, C., C, T., Hk, D., Dj, W., Y, Z., Sr, A., & K, A. (2015, July 30). Community-Acquired Pneumonia Requiring Hospitalization Among U.S. Adults. The New England Journal of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26172429/
Shorr, A. F., Zilberberg, M. D., Reichley, R., Kan, J., Hoban, A., Hoffman, J., Micek, S. T., & Kollef, M. H. (2011). Validation of a Clinical Score for Assessing the Risk of Resistant Pathogens in Patients With Pneumonia Presenting to the Emergency Department. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 54(2), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cir813
Commonly asked questions
To create a comprehensive nursing care plan for pneumonia 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 of the treatment journey for a patient with pneumonia to track, monitor, and plan all interventions both by healthcare professionals and the patient themselves.
Pneumonia nursing care plan templates are used as a planning tool for efficient and confident care delivery. They are designed to be customized and meet the individual patient's needs.
