This nursing care plan is for patients who are experiencing substance abuse. Substance abuse is where a person is dependent on a substance/drug. The most common substances abused by individuals are alcohol and drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
People who abuse drugs are at risk for many illnesses such as depression, sexually transmitted diseases and suicide. Nurses who care for patients that are experiencing substance abuse should watch for withdrawal symptoms.
A nursing care plan that can be used for a patient experiencing substance abuse is Ineffective Health Maintenance.
Below is a case scenario that may be encountered as a nursing student or nurse in a hospital setting.
What are nursing care plans? How do you develop a nursing care plan? What nursing care plan book do you recommend helping you develop a nursing care plan?
This care plan is listed to give an example of how a Nurse (LPN or RN) may plan to treat a patient with those conditions.
Important Disclosure: Please keep in mind that these care plans are listed for Example/Educational purposes only , and some of these treatments may change over time. Do not treat a patient based on this care plan.
Care Plans are often developed in different formats. The formatting isn’t always important, and care plan formatting may vary among different nursing schools or medical jobs. Some hospitals may have the information displayed in digital format, or use pre-made templates. The most important part of the care plan is the content, as that is the foundation on which you will base your care.
If you want to view a video tutorial on how to construct a care plan in nursing school, please view the video below. Otherwise, scroll down to view this completed care plan.
A 39 year old female is admitted to your floor with right ischemic foot. You note needle tracks on the patients right and left forearms as well on the anterior parts of the right and left feet. When the patient is questioned about this she states she has been “shooting” up heroin but has been clean for 3 days. She stated she decided to come to the hospital when she couldn’t feel her right foot any more and it started to turn blue. The patient is a poor historian and is unable to tell you much about her health history. The patient is missing her front teeth and you note several abscessed teeth and foul smelling breath. The patients clothes are filthy and you note that the patient has a suspicious rash on her chest. You send a wound culture to the lab per md orders. In addition, you note several pustule areas on the patients face, arms, and legs. The patient is constantly scratching her skin and states she feels like something is crawling on her.
Ineffective health maintenance related to substance abuse as evidence by patient reports to using heroin, skin lesions, loss of teeth, foul smelling breath, and chest rash.
When the patient is questioned about this she states she has been “shooting” up heroin but has been clean for 3 days. She stated she decided to come to the hospital when she couldn’t feel her right foot any more and it started to turn blue.
A 39 year old female is admitted to your floor with right ischemic foot. You note needle tracks on the patients right and left forearms as well on the anterior parts of the right and left feet. The patient is a poor historian and is unable to tell you much about her health history. The patient is missing her front teeth and you know several abscessed teeth and foul smelling breath. The patients clothes are filthy and you note that the patient has a suspicious rash on her chest. You send a wound culture to the lab per md orders. In addition, you note several pustule areas on the patients face, arms, and legs. The patient is constantly scratching her skin and states she feels like something is crawling on her.
