Nursing Diagnoses

Identifying nursing diagnoses for patients with cerebral palsy will help us determine what specific issues should be the focus of our nursing care.

Some examples of priority nursing diagnoses for CP:

• Readiness for enhanced mobility / related to willingness to work with physical and occupational therapists, and potential for development of muscle control
• Risk for injury / related to muscle spasms and lack of coordination
• Impaired verbal communication / related to facial muscle spasms, possible co-morbid cognitive impairments
• Readiness for enhanced family coping / related to family investment in care for the child
• Self-care deficit / related to impairments in feeding, mobility, and communication

And to create a more detailed care plan, we would create nursing interventions and expected outcomes-- or goals-- for each diagnosis.

Nursing Diagnosis	Intervention	Expected Outcome
Readiness for enhanced mobility r/t willingness to work with healthcare team, and potential for development of muscle control	Assess patient for current physical mobility and assess patient and/or family for current goals Engage the patient in daily exercises, focusing on range of motion, flexibility, and muscle coordination Provide positive reinforcement for small changes	Patient and/or family will identify goals for increased mobility Patient will demonstrate greater range of motion, flexibility, and muscle coordination Patient and/or family will recognize progress and identify successes

For more cerebral palsy care plans-- check out Prentice Hall and Nursing-Help.com.