Ineffective Coping Care Plan

After a careful diagnosis, as a nurse, you obviously embark on a care plan that will help in restoring the life of the patient to a normal state. Ineffective coping is one of the major problems that create significant discomfort due to the stressors emanating from immense life-related pressures.

It is the responsibility of you the nurse to help the patient to overcome the stressors and make good choices. In some cases, it may require pharmacological intervention, counseling, or even other measures, which may be applied depending on the situation-to-case basis. This article will help you to understand what is expected of you when providing a care plan for patients with an ineffective coping condition.

Expected Care Plan Outcome

The nursing care plan should be implemented to aid the patient’s recovery process and cope. The recovery by the patient varies from case to case, depending on the stressors, resources available, and the environment surrounding the patient. You expect that after the care, the patient will remain safe in the hospital free of self-harm. After the discharge, the patient should record an increase in the ability to control the situation.

The patient should verbalize to the people who are close and share when he or she needs emotional assistance. Further, due to the increased ability to cope with the situation, nursing care should help the patient to sleep better. In addition, the patient should verbalize and implement coping techniques to get her life back to normal.

Preparation for the Nursing Care

A proper diagnosis should preside over nursing care by the nurse. In this preliminary exercise, the nurse should identify the reason for the stressors as it helps in acquiring the appropriate strategy to help the patient to cope. The diagnosis process should be one that should enable the nurse to observe the customs, norms, and events that have led to the coping problems of the patient.

The nurse should also be able to tell the self-destructive ability of the patient and monitor the situation closely to be able to offer an appropriate plan of care. This is important because it may lead to suicide or severe hurting by the patient. Most importantly, the nursing diagnosis procedure could be incomplete if there is no emergency plan for the patient. The emergency plan should be applied in risky situations that could end in suicidal or critical observation. Such measures, among other diagnoses, should be set out before implementing a nursing care plan.

Nursing Care Intervention

As part of the nursing care plan, it encompasses the implementation of the intervention measures. The nurse can use some of the standards, as part of the intervention, while others can be self-medicated.

Develop Working Relationship with the Patient

The first step is to set a working relationship that will help in the continuity of the care to treat the patient. In this case, establishing a good relationship helps to build trust and reduce isolation in the patient, thereby facilitating coping. To determine the relationship, the nurse should use empathetic communication, which creates a supportive environment to enable the patient’s coping.

The nurse should indeed help the patient to set realistic goals and identify the personal skills and knowledge that would help in coping and coming out of the stressors. More importantly, in establishing the relationship, it provides the patients with the chance to express their feelings, fears as well as their goals. In doing this, the nurse allows the patient to do a verbalization and reduce the level of anxiety.

Encourage the patient to Understand

The second major nursing care step for the ineffective coping patient is to understand the patient in a manner that conveys a feeling of acceptance. The patient should feel accepted, and the nurse should make the patient at ease, but be careful not to give false reassurance. False reassurances will not help the patient but will only provide a short time relief.

The nurse should encourage the patient to make choices and be active in participating in the planning of care. In this case, the nurse should allow the patient to be involved in defining the scheduled activities, which instils the feeling of control as it also promotes self-esteem.

The nurse should also allow the patient to understand his/her strengths and abilities. In this case, during crises, the patient may not recognize their strengths, but fostering awareness can aid in the use of the inherent powers.

Physical and Mental Activities

It is imperative to make consideration of physical and mental activities. Some of the physical and mental activities would form the basis for the intervention of the patient. For instance, the nurse should understand the patient’s ability to read, watching television, sports, games, and social gathering.

From the activities identified by the nurse, the nurse may choose an intervention that improves body awareness and paves the way for the patient to relax. If the patient is physically capable of engaging in exercises, proper nutrition, and other means of muscular relaxation, it improves the ability to cope with the stressors.

Self-evaluation and Provision of Information

The nurse should assist the patient in evaluating the situation and determining the accomplishments. Other than imposing solutions on the patient, it is helpful that patients understand that they have the resources and strength to manage the situation effectively. However, the patient needs the nurse’s support to have confidence and a realistic perspective of the situation

As a nurse, you also need to provide information that the nurse wants and needs. Patients may require information regarding specific stressors, which may enable faster coping. However, in disseminating information, it is imperative to be careful and not to give information that is beyond what the patient may handle. Besides, the nurse should understand that patients suffering from ineffective coping have a reduced ability to absorb information.

A Final Touch of Therapy

With an already established relationship, the nurse may move to the next level of intervention through a touch. This will require the nurse to seek permission from the patient and gently give a back massage using slow rhythmic stroking using his or her hands. The nurse should use a rate of 60 strokes every 3 minutes in a 2-inch massage area, which is done on the spine and the crown of the sacral region.

Touch therapy is justified by the fact that a soothing touch reveals acceptance and empathy in the patient. Slow stroke at the back massage leads to a decreased heart rate and reduction in diastolic pressure. Further, the skin records an increased skin temperature as well as a reduction in ineffective coping symptoms such as restlessness. The touch also helps to distract the attention towards pleasurable experiences and block stressors.