From Assessment to Action: Implementing Effective Nursing Interventions

Title image for the blog on nursing interventions

Patients journey to health lies in nursing interventions, that are the driving force behind patients recovery and empowerment. What are nursing inventions? And how does it help in nursing care plan? Let us dive deep into the meaning of nursing interventions, their types and importance in healthcare systems.

What are nursing interventions?

To understand what nursing interventions are, it is important to understand what nursing care plans are. Nursing care plans are a systematic and organized approach toward patient health recovery. It consists of the following components such as:

  1. Assessment: Subjective and objective information collected by nurse.
  2. Nursing diagnosis: Identifying patients health problems through assessment.
  3. Goals: Goals set to achieve the desired outcomes.
  4. Interventions: Actions taken by the nurses to achieve these goals.
  5. Rationale: Reason for the action.
  6. Evaluation: To evaluate whether the goals are achieved or not through interventions.

All these together form an effective nursing care plan that helps the patient recover. To learn more about nursing care plans, read our blog for detailed information.

Nursing interventions:

Nursing interventions are the actions the nurse takes to enhance patient recovery and provide quality patient care. These interventions are classified as follows:

  1. Independent nursing intervention
  2. Dependent nursing intervention
  3. Interdependent nursing intervention

 

Types of nursing interventions explained in an image

 

Independent nursing intervention:

Independent nursing intervention is when the nurses take it without a physician’s order. These interventions are based on nursing knowledge and skills.

Examples of independent nursing intervention

Pain management:

  • Intervention: Providing nonpharmacological pain techniques such heat or cold therapy, muscle relaxation.
  • Rationale: Providing these techniques can improve patient comfort.

Pressured ulcers:

  • Intervention: Moving a patient every 2 hours to prevent pressured ulcers that is caused by being in one position for too long.
  • Rationale: Moving the patient every 2 our and providing skin care can promote healthy skin.

Emotional support:

  • Intervention: Active listening to the patient and providing therapeutic communication to provide emotional support.
  • Rationale: this can help to reduce patient’s anxiety, and they feel supported.

Dependent nursing intervention

Dependent nursing intervention involves a physician’s order. Nurses cannot independently perform this intervention but are still required to monitor and assess the patients.

Examples of dependent nursing intervention

Patients with infection:

  • Intervention: Administering prescribed antibiotics to the patient with the right dose and time.
  • Rationale: Giving prescribed medications to the patient with the right dose on right time will help the patient to recover quickly.

Nutritional support Through feeding tube:

  • Intervention: Providing food to the patient through the provider’s prescribed feeding tube.
  • Rationale: This nutritional support plan is according to patient’s needs and will provide nutrition to the patients that will help him recover.

Catheterization:

  • Intervention: inserting a catheter as the healthcare provider orders it.
  • Rationale: Catheterization required medical order and can only be done after that by following the protocols.

Examples of Interdependent nursing intervention

Interdependent nursing intervention means collaborating with other healthcare workers to form a nursing care plan. Nurses and other health care workers such as therapists, dieticians etc. make an effective care plan.

Patients with heart failure:

Intervention: The nurse, with the help of the dietician, forms a nutritional plan for the patient to meet the dietary needs. The nurse ensures that restricted food is not included in the patient’s diet.

Patient with mobility issues:

Intervention: Nurses collaborate with physical therapists to help the patient gain its mobility and record progress.

Patients with diabetes:

Intervention: Nurses collaborate with endocrinologists to review patient’s insulin regime and adjust if necessary.

 

 

Nursing Intervention Classification System (NIC)

It is a standardized system used to characterize and describe nurse interventions. Key components of NIC system are:

NIC includes more than 500 interventions that nurses take to improve patient outcomes. It has 7 domains and 30 classes.

  • Basic physiological nursing intervention
  • Complex Physiological Nursing Interventions
  • Behavioral Nursing Interventions
  • Family Nursing Interventions
  • Safety Nursing Interventions
  • Community Nursing Interventions
  • Health System Nursing Interventions

Conclusion

Nursing intervention is an important part of the nursing care plan. They are the steps taken by the nurses after assessing and diagnosing the patient’s problem. Nursing interventions are of three types: dependent, independent, and interdependent. The nurses take Independent actions or interventions based on their skills and knowledge. Dependent interventions are those that need physicians’ orders, such as prescribing medications. Interdependent interventions mean collaborating with other healthcare providers such as dieticians, psychologists, therapists, and more. All nursing interventions have one goal! And that is effective patient care.

If you are travel nurse and looking for your next big assignment, Join SkillGigs now and become part of our team. Where we connect you to the jobs you want! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sign up for SkillGigs Newsletter and Stay Ahead of the Curve

Subscribe today to get the latest healthcare industry updates

In order to get your your quiz results, please fill out the following information!

In order to get your your quiz results, please fill out the following information!