7 Gastroenteritis Nursing Care Plans

Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestinal tract that primarily affects the small bowel.

The major clinical manifestations are diarrhea of varying degrees and abdominal pain and cramping. Associated clinical manifestations are nausea, vomiting, fever anorexia, distention, tenesmus, and borborygmi.

The nursing goals for patients with Acute Gastroenteritis are toward: avoiding dehydration and management of diarrhea. This post contains 4 nursing care plans.

1. Diarrhea — Gastroenteritis Nursing Care Plan (NCP)

Diarrhea is defined as an increase in the frequency, volume and fluid content of stool. Rapid propulsion of intestinal contents through the small bowel results in diarrhea. Diarrhea is a hallmark sign of gastroenteritis.

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2. Acute Pain — Gastroenteritis Nursing Care Plan (NCP)

One of the manifestations of gastroenteritis is abdominal pain. During the course of inflammation, the body’s immune response, causing the release of cytokine and prostaglandin causing an increase in vascular permeability and causes pain, which felt by the patient in the abdomen.

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3. Deficient Fluid Volume — Gastroenteritis Nursing Care Plan (NCP)

Rapid propulsion of intestinal contents through the small bowels may lead to a serious fluid volume deficit. The body would want to expel the foreign objective as much as possible thus it doesn’t undergo its “normal” speed, with that, the digestive system organs are not able to absorb the excess fluids that are usually absorbed by the body.

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4. Activity Intolerance — Gastroenteritis Nursing Care Plan (NCP)

Activity intolerance is insufficient physiological or psychological energy poor endure or complete required or desired daily activities. Because of low hgb and hct level there will be decrease oxygen being delivered to the tissues of the body since the hgb is responsible for the oxygenation of tissue. As a compensatory mechanism, the body will increase its demand of oxygen by increasing respiratory rate of the patient which results then to fatigue. Because of this there will be fast consumption of ATP leading to weaker contractions thus causing muscle weakness. And if the patient has muscle weakness there will be activity intolerance.

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Other Nursing Diagnoses for Gastroenteritis:

• Imbalanced Nutrition: Less than Body Requirements due to insufficient intake and excessive output;
• Risk for Deficient Fluid Volume (if Diarrhea does not occur or intake of fluids is insufficient but does not have any signs of dehydration);
• Hyperthermia RT inflammatory process.