Ineffective Health Maintenance NCLEX Review and Nursing Care Plans
Ineffective Health Maintenance is a NANDA nursing diagnosis that refers to the changes in one’s ability to maintain or manage his or her healthcare requirements, whether they may be physical, mental, social, or spiritual needs. This can be a result of the patient’s lack of ownership of their health or it can be out of their control, such as cognitive impairment.
A number of factors can be linked to ineffective health maintenance, which may include changes in physical health status such as having a lifelong illness or a debilitating disorder. A person’s mental health status can also be suspected to affect health maintenance, such as depression, confusion, hopelessness, and helplessness.
In addition to these, changes in social health status such as lack of family and/or friends, and spiritual health status such as spiritual distress may contribute to this.
As these cases are mostly cognitive and psychosocial in nature, the nurse can help the patients in presenting information and resources, support and empowerment in making a plan and setting goals, however, the patients play a significant active role in the maintenance and improvement of their health status.
People from older age groups are mostly vulnerable to experience ineffective health maintenance and are especially at risk for management of the therapeutic plan.
Signs and symptoms of Ineffective Health Maintenance comprise of subjective and objective data. Subjective data are those that the patient reports, while objective data are those that the nurse assesses.
Nursing Diagnosis: Risk for Ineffective Health Maintenance secondary to Pressure Ulcer related to the need for long term pressure ulcer management
Desired Outcome: The patient and the caregiver will demonstrate understanding of the following aspects of care related to pressure ulcer management: relief of pressure, wound care, nutrition, and incontinence management.
Terminal or End-stage Cancer
Nursing Diagnosis: Risk for Ineffective Health Maintenance related to anxiety secondary to terminal cancer.
Desired Outcome: The patient will demonstrate the ability to cope adequately with the existing condition and adopt lifestyle changes to support health goals.
Nursing Diagnosis: Risk for Ineffective Health Maintenance secondary to Diabetes Mellitus related to a lack of knowledge about diabetes and its management as evidenced by inadequate follow-through of instructions.
Nursing Diagnosis: Ineffective Health Maintenance related to substance abuse due to previous ineffective and inadequate coping skills as evidenced by verbalization of inability to cope for health.
Nursing Diagnosis: Ineffective Health Maintenance related to poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyle secondary to hypertension as evidenced by destructive behavior toward self; overeating, lack of appetite; excessive smoking/drinking, proneness to alcohol abuse.
Desired Outcome: The patient will avoid self-destructing behaviors and identify proper diet and nutrition to improve blood pressure and overall health.
Ackley, B. J., Ladwig, G. B., Makic, M. B., Martinez-Kratz, M. R., & Zanotti, M. (2020). Nursing diagnoses handbook: An evidence-based guide to planning care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Gulanick, M., & Myers, J. L. (2022). Nursing care plans: Diagnoses, interventions, & outcomes. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Ignatavicius, D. D., Workman, M. L., Rebar, C. R., & Heimgartner, N. M. (2020). Medical-surgical nursing: Concepts for interprofessional collaborative care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Silvestri, L. A. (2020). Saunders comprehensive review for the NCLEX-RN examination. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
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This information is intended to be nursing education and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
Anna Curran. RN-BC, BSN, PHN, CMSRN I am a Critical Care ER nurse. I have been in this field for over 30 years. I also began teaching BSN and LVN students and found that by writing additional study guides helped their knowledge base, especially when it was time to take the NCLEX examinations.