Disturbed Thought Process Care Plan
Disturbed thought process is the state that causes an individual to experience a disruption in mental activities including reality orientation, judgment, conscious thought, comprehension, and problem-solving (Escalada‐Hernández, Paula, and Blanca 157). The focus of nursing care plans is to reduce disturbed thinking and promote reality orientation. The care plans are meant to promote clear and effective communication with other people. A nurse is required to carry out intensive assessment to determine the severity of the condition and the factors contributing to the disturbed thought process. Some of the contributing factors including drug use, age, mental disorders, torture, mental, physical or sexual abuse (Hong, Jeongeun and Wanju 5). The purpose of identifying the contributing factors is to determine the relevant interventions to reduce disturbed thinking.
Care plans are meant to identify possible misinterpretation of behavior, hallucinations, change in thinking or behavior. The care plan will document the various abnormal conditions a patient is experiencing (Temel and Kutlu 567). The documentation will be essential in communicating with other nurses and family members about the condition of a patient. When the condition of a patient is documented it helps in carrying out relevant interventions to improve the thought process of a patient (Hong, Jeongeun and Wanju 7). The goal of applying the interventions is to help a person interact and communicate freely with other people. A patient who is admitted to a healthcare facility should demonstrate improved interaction with the staff and other patients. Nurses who check the conditions of various patients will use the nursing care plans to know the improvements a patient is making. The improvements are identified through reduced abnormal conditions such as hallucinations and proper communication.
Nursing care plans should be comprehensive to ensure it identifies some of the root causes of the disturbed thought process. The nursing care plans will help communicate with other nurses of the relevant interventions that should be applied (Temel and Kutlu 564). For example, the condition is associated with other health conditions such dementia, schizophrenia, and depression. The nurse care plans will demonstrate the conditions that may be deteriorating the thought process of an individual. Additionally, patients may be asked to carry out specific tasks frequently to measure their ability to think clearly (Temel and Kutlu 566). For example, patients may be asked to write their names, verbalize their true feelings and engage in one-on-one conversations. The nurse care plans are effective since they will demonstrate the progress a patient has made, the issues that need to be improved on and interventions that should be applied.
Works Cited
Escalada‐Hernández, Paula, and Blanca Marín‐Fernández. “The nursing diagnosis disturbed thought processes in psychiatric patients: Prevalence and associated characteristics.” International Journal of Nursing Knowledge 27.3 (2016): 156-161.
Hong, Haesook, Jeongeun Park, and Wanju Park. “Usage patterns of nursing diagnoses among student nurses in psychiatric unit: relation with NANDA and SNOMED CT.” Journal of Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 24.1 (2015): 1-11.
Temel, Merey, and Kutlu Fluze. “Gordon’s model applied to nursing care of people with depression.” International Nursing Review 62.4 (2015): 563-572.