Included in this guide are 12 nursing diagnoses for stroke (cerebrovascular accident) nursing care plans. Know about the nursing interventions for stroke, assessment, goals, and related factors of each nursing diagnosis and care plan.
What is Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) or Stroke?
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), also known as stroke, cerebral infarction, brain attack, is any functional or structural abnormality of the brain caused by a pathological condition of the cerebral vessels of the entire cerebrovascular system. It is the sudden impairment of cerebral circulation in one or more blood vessels supplying the brain. This pathology either causes hemorrhage from a tear in the vessel wall or impairs the cerebral circulation by partial or complete occlusion of the vessel lumen with transient or permanent effects. The sooner the circulation returns to normal after a stroke, the better the chances are for a full recovery. However, about half of those who survived a stroke remain disabled permanently and experience the recurrence within weeks, months, or years.
Thrombosis, embolism, and hemorrhage are the primary causes of stroke, with thrombosis being the leading cause of both CVAs and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). The most common vessels involved are the carotid arteries and those of the vertebrobasilar system at the base of the brain.
A thrombotic CVA causes a slow evolution of symptoms, usually over several hours, and is “completed” when the condition stabilizes. An embolic CVA occurs when a clot is carried into cerebral circulation and causes a localized cerebral infarct. Hemorrhagic CVA is caused by other conditions such as a ruptured aneurysm, hypertension, arteriovenous (AV) malformations, or other bleeding disorders.
Nursing Care Plans
The primary nursing care plan goals for patients with stroke depend on the phase of CVA the client is in. During the acute phase of CVA, efforts should focus on survival needs and prevent further complications. Care revolves around efficient continuing neurologic assessment, support of respiration, continuous monitoring of vital signs, careful positioning to avoid aspiration and contractures, management of GI problems, and monitoring of electrolyte and nutritional status. Nursing care should also include measures to prevent complications.
Listed below are 12 nursing diagnoses for stroke (cerebrovascular accident) nursing care plans:
- Risk for Ineffective Cerebral Tissue Perfusion
- Impaired Physical Mobility
- Impaired Verbal Communication
- Acute Pain
- Ineffective Coping
- Self-Care Deficit
- Risk for Impaired Swallowing
- Activity Intolerance
- Risk for Unilateral Neglect
- Deficient Knowledge
- Risk for Disuse Syndrome
- Risk for Injury
- Other Nursing Diagnosis
NOTE: This nursing care plan is recently updated with new content and a change in formatting. Nursing assessment and nursing interventions are listed in bold and followed by their specific rationale in the following line. Still, when writing nursing care plans, follow the format here.
Risk for Unilateral Neglect
Nursing Diagnosis
- Risk for Unilateral Neglect
Risk factors may include
Common related factors for this nursing diagnosis:
- Disturbed perception from neurological damage
- Cerebrovascular impairment
- Neurological illness
- Head trauma
- Tumor
Desired goals and outcomes
Common goals and expected outcomes:
- Patient will demonstrate and use techniques that can be used to minimize unilateral neglect
- Patient will care for both sides of the body appropriately and keep affected side free from harm
- Patient will return to optimized functioning level possible
- Patient will be free from injury
Nursing Assessment and Rationales
The following is a nursing assessment guide. Here are the nursing assessment cues for the stroke nursing care plan.
1. Assess the client for signs of unilateral neglect. Signs and symptoms include:
- Neglecting to wash, shave, or dress one side of the body
- Sitting or lying inappropriately on affected arm or leg
- Failing to response to environmental stimuli contralateral to the side of lesion
- Eating food on only one side of the plate
- Failing to look to one side of the body
- Alteration in safety behavior on neglected side
- Disturbance of sound lateralization
- Failure to dress neglected side
- Failure to eat food from portion of plate on neglected side
- Failure to groom neglected side
- Failure to move body parts (eyes, head, limbs, trunk) in the neglected hemisphere
- Failure to notice people approaching from neglected side
- Hemianopsia
Nursing Interventions and Rationales
Here are the nursing interventions for this stroke nursing care plan.
1. Progressively increase the client’s ability to cope with unilateral neglect by using assistive devices, feedback, and support during rehabilitation.
Recovery from unilateral neglect generally occurs in the first four weeks after stroke, with a much more gradual recovery after that.
2. Initiate fall prevention interventions.
Patients with CVA are twice as likely to fall. See Risk for Falls and Risk for Injury.
3. Set up the environment so that essential activity is on the unaffected side.
These help in focusing attention and aids in the maintenance of safety. Place the client’s personal items within view and the unaffected side. Position the bed so that the client is approached from the unaffected side.
4. Educate the patient to turn the head in the direction of the defective visual field.
To compensate for the loss in visual acuity.
5. Teach the client to be aware of the problem and modify behavior and environment.
Awareness of the environment decreases the risk of injury.
6. Direct client or significant other (SO) to position bed at home so that the client gets out of bed on the unaffected side.
Increases safety.
7. Encourage family participation in care and exercise.
Improvement is seen in clients who participated in exercise training with their family members.
8. Teach the client how to scan regularly to check body parts’ position and to periodically turn head from side to side when ambulating or doing ADLs.
Reinforcement of this technique helps increase patient safety.
9. Speak in a calm, comforting, quiet voice, using short sentences. Maintain eye contact.
The patient may have limited attention span or problems with comprehension. These measures can help patients attend to communication.
10. Ascertain patient’s perceptions. Reorient patient frequently to environment, staff, procedures.
Assists patient to identify inconsistencies in reception and integration of stimuli and may reduce perceptual distortion of reality.
11. Approach the patient from the visually intact side. Leave the light on; position objects to take advantage of intact visual fields. Patch affected eye if indicated.
Helps the patient to recognize the presence of persons or objects and may help with depth perception problems. This also prevents patients from being startled. Patching the eye may decrease sensory confusion of double vision.
12. Stimulate a sense of touch. Give patient objects to touch, and hold. Have patient practice touching walls boundaries.
Aids in retraining sensory pathways to integrate reception and interpretation of stimuli. Helps patient orient self spatially and strengthens the use of affected side.
13. Encourage the patient to watch feet when appropriate and consciously position body parts. Make the patient aware of all neglected body parts: sensory stimulation to the affected side, exercises that bring the affected side across the midline, reminding the person to dress/care for the affected (“blind”) side.
The use of visual and tactile stimuli assists in the reintegration of the affected side and allows the patient to experience forgotten sensations of normal movement patterns.
Recommended Resources
Recommended nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan books and resources.
Disclosure: Included below are affiliate links from Amazon at no additional cost from you. We may earn a small commission from your purchase. For more information, check out our privacy policy.
- Nursing Care Plans: Nursing Diagnosis and Intervention (10th Edition)
An awesome book to help you create and customize effective nursing care plans. We highly recommend this book for its completeness and ease of use. - Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions and Rationales
A quick-reference tool to easily select the appropriate nursing diagnosis to plan your patient’s care effectively. - NANDA International Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions & Classification, 2021-2023 (12th Edition)
The official and definitive guide to nursing diagnoses as reviewed and approved by the NANDA-I. This book focuses on the nursing diagnostic labels, their defining characteristics, and risk factors – this does not include nursing interventions and rationales. - Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 12th Edition Revised Reprint with 2021-2023 NANDA-I® Updates
Another great nursing care plan resource that is updated to include the recent NANDA-I updates. - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5(TM))
Useful for creating nursing care plans related to mental health and psychiatric nursing. - Ulrich & Canale’s Nursing Care Planning Guides, 8th Edition
Claims to have the most in-depth care plans of any nursing care planning book. Includes 31 detailed nursing diagnosis care plans and 63 disease/disorder care plans. - Maternal Newborn Nursing Care Plans (3rd Edition)
If you’re looking for specific care plans related to maternal and newborn nursing care, this book is for you. - Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care (7th Edition)
An easy-to-use nursing care plan book that is updated with the latest diagnosis from NANDA-I 2021-2023. - All-in-One Nursing Care Planning Resource: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, and Psychiatric-Mental Health (5th Edition)
Definitely an all-in-one resources for nursing care planning. It has over 100 care plans for different nursing topics.
See also
Other recommended site resources for this nursing care plan:
- Nursing Care Plans (NCP): Ultimate Guide and Database
Over 150+ nursing care plans for different diseases and conditions. Includes our easy-to-follow guide on how to create nursing care plans from scratch. - Nursing Diagnosis Guide and List: All You Need to Know to Master Diagnosing
Our comprehensive guide on how to create and write diagnostic labels. Includes detailed nursing care plan guides for common nursing diagnostic labels.
Other nursing care plans related to neurological disorders:
- Alzheimer’s Disease | 15 Care Plans
- Brain Tumor | 3 Care Plans
- Cerebral Palsy | 7 Care Plans
- Cerebrovascular Accident | 12 Care Plans
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome | 6 Care Plans
- Meningitis | 7 Care Plans
- Multiple Sclerosis | 9 Care Plans
- Parkinson’s Disease | 9 Care Plans
- Seizure Disorder | 4 Care Plans
- Spinal Cord Injury | 12 Care Plans
References and Sources
The following are the references and recommended sources for stroke nursing care plans and nursing diagnosis, including interesting resources to further your reading about the topic:
- Acharya, A. B., & Wroten, M. (2017). Wernicke Aphasia.
- Amarenco, P., Lavallée, P. C., Monteiro Tavares, L., Labreuche, J., Albers, G. W., Abboud, H., … & Wong, L. K. (2018). Five-year risk of stroke after TIA or minor ischemic stroke. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(23), 2182-2190.
- Crawford, A., & Harris, H. (2016). Caring for adults with impaired physical mobility. Nursing2020, 46(12), 36-41.
- Cumbler, E., & Glasheen, J. (2007). Management of blood pressure after acute ischemic stroke: An evidence‐based guide for the hospitalist. Journal of Hospital Medicine: An Official Publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine, 2(4), 261-267.
- Dowswell, G., Dowswell, T., & Young, J. (2000). Adjusting stroke patients’ poor position: an observational study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 32(2), 286-291.
- Gorelick, P. B., Farooq, M. U., & Min, J. (2015). Population-based approaches for reducing stroke risk. Expert review of cardiovascular therapy, 13(1), 49-56.
- Hansen, A. P., Marcussen, N. S., Klit, H., Andersen, G., Finnerup, N. B., & Jensen, T. S. (2012). Pain following stroke: a prospective study. European journal of pain, 16(8), 1128-1136.
- Kazemzadeh, Z., Manzari, Z. S., & Pouresmail, Z. (2017). Nursing interventions for smoking cessation in hospitalized patients: a systematic review. International nursing review, 64(2), 263-275.
- Kumar, R., Metter, E. J., Mehta, A. J., & Chew, T. (1990). Shoulder pain in hemiplegia. The role of exercise. American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 69(4), 205-208.
- Lankhorst, G. J., & Bouter, L. M. (2002). Risk factors for hemiplegic shoulder pain: A systematic review. Critical Reviews’ in Physical and Rehabilitation. Medicine, 14(3&4), 223-233.
- Li, J., Yuan, M., Liu, Y., Zhao, Y., Wang, J., & Guo, W. (2017). Incidence of constipation in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 96(25).
- Li, Z., & Alexander, S. A. (2015). Current evidence in the management of poststroke hemiplegic shoulder pain: a review. Journal Of Neuroscience Nursing, 47(1), 10-19.
- Marler, J. R., Tilley, B. C., Lu, M., Brott, T. G., Lyden, P. C., Grotta, J. C., … & NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study Group. (2000). Early stroke treatment associated with better outcome: the NINDS rt-PA stroke study. Neurology, 55(11), 1649-1655.
- Menon, B. K., & Demchuk, A. M. (2011). Computed tomography angiography in the assessment of patients with stroke/TIA. The Neurohospitalist, 1(4), 187-199.
- Ovbiagele, B., Kidwell, C. S., Starkman, S., & Saver, J. L. (2003). Neuroprotective agents for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 3(1), 9-20.
- Purnawinadi, I. G. (2019). The Characteristics Of Impaired Physical Mobility Among Patients With Stroke. Klabat Journal of Nursing, 1(1), 1-8.
- Sacco, R. L. (2004). Risk factors for TIA and TIA as a risk factor for stroke. Neurology, 62(8 suppl 6), S7-S11.
- Shah, R. S., & Cole, J. W. (2010). Smoking and stroke: the more you smoke the more you stroke. Expert review of cardiovascular
- Tyson, S. F., & Chissim, C. (2002). The immediate effect of handling technique on range of movement in the hemiplegic shoulder. Clinical rehabilitation, 16(2), 137-140.
- Xie, H. M., Guo, T. T., Sun, X., Ge, H. X., Chen, X. D., Zhao, K. J., & Zhang, L. N. (2021). Effectiveness of Botulinum Toxin A in Treatment of Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
there is a lot of good information but I don’t know how to cite the website and the author in the APA format
I agree with the comment above! How can we cite this awesome website?!
Vera, M. (2013, August 2). Nursing care plans: 8 cerebrovascular accident (stroke) nursing care plans. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from Nurses labs: https://nurseslabs.com/8-cerebrovascular-accident-stroke-nursing-care-plans/#Impaired_Verbal_Communication
APA 6th Edition
Make sure to italicize: Nursing care plans: 8 cerebrovascular accident (stroke) nursing care plans.
Slight correction on what was posted:
Vera, M. (2013). 8+ Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke) Nursing Care Plans. Retrieved from https://nurseslabs.com/8-cerebrovascular-accident-stroke-nursing-care-plans/11/
And, as stated, make sure to italicize the title.
Very educational, learnt a lot how to provide care with a client who has had a CVA.
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Hi. Everything you have here is super helpful. But, I could figure out how to put this in in text citation. Can you help?
Hello Vikki. Sure. You can use a tool like bibme.org to make citations. Just enter the link and fill up the details. Here, I went ahead and made you the APA citation for this study guide:
Vera, M., RN. (2019, February 12). 8 Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke) Nursing Care Plans.
Retrieved from https://nurseslabs.com/8-cerebrovascular-accident-stroke-nursing-care-plans/
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