11 Fracture Nursing Care Plans

In this nursing care plan guide are 11 nursing diagnoses for patients with fractures. Know the assessment, goals, related factors, and nursing interventions with rationale for fracture in this guide. A fracture is a medical term used for a broken bone. They occur when the physical force exerted on the bone is stronger than the bone itself. They commonly happen because of car accidents, falls, or sports injuries. Other causes are low bone density and osteoporosis, which cause the weakening of the bones. Fracture is sometimes abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #. Types of Fracture There are many fractures, but the main categories are complete, incomplete, open, closed, and pathological. Five major types are as follows: 1. Incomplete: Fracture involves only a portion of the cross-section of the bone. One side breaks; the other usually just bends (greenstick). 2. Complete: Fracture line involves entire cross-section of the bone, and bone fragments are usually displaced. 3. Closed: The fracture does not extend through the skin. 4. Open: Bone fragments extend through the muscle and skin, which is potentially infected. 5. Pathological: Fracture occurs in diseased bone (such as cancer, osteoporosis), with no or only minimal trauma. Nursing Care Plans Creating nursing care plans for clients with fractures, whether in a cast or traction, is based on preventing complications during healing. Performing an accurate nursing assessment regularly allows the nursing staff to manage the patient’s pain and prevent complications. In emergency trauma care, basics include triage, assessment and maintaining the airway, breathing, and circulation, protecting the cervical spine, and assessing the level of consciousness. Here are eleven (11) nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnosis (NDx) for fracture: 1. Risk for Falls 2. Acute Pain 3. Risk for Peripheral Neurovascular Dysfunction 4. Risk for Impaired Gas Exchange 5. Impaired Physical Mobility 6. Impaired Skin Integrity 7. Risk for Infection 8. Deficient Knowledge 9. Risk for Injury 10. Self-Care Deficit 11. Constipation 1. Risk for Falls ADVERTISEMENTS Risk for Falls Nursing Diagnosis Risk for Falls Risk factors may include Loss of skeletal integrity (fractures)/movement of bone fragments Weakness Getting up without assistance Desired Outcomes Client will maintain stabilization and alignment of fracture(s). Client will display callus formation/beginning union at fracture site as appropriate. Client will demonstrate body mechanics that promote stability at the fracture site. Nursing Interventions and Rationale 1. Maintain bed rest or limb rest as indicated. Provide support of joints above and below the fracture site, especially when moving and turning. Provides stability, reducing the possibility of disturbing alignment and muscle spasms, which enhances healing. 2. Secure a bed board under the mattress or place the patient on the orthopedic bed. A soft or sagging mattress may deform a wet (green) plaster cast, crack a dry cast, or interfere with traction pull. ADVERTISEMENTS 3. Support fracture site with pillows or folded blankets. Maintain a neutral position of the affected part with sandbags, splints, trochanter roll, footboard. Prevents unnecessary movement and disruption of alignment. Proper placement of pillows also can prevent pressure deformities in the drying cast. 4. Use sufficient personnel when turning. Avoid using an abduction bar when turning a patient with a spica cast. Hip, body, or multiple casts can be extremely heavy and cumbersome. Failure to properly support limbs in casts may cause the cast to break. 5. Observe and evaluate splinted extremity for resolution of edema. Coaptation splint (Jones-Sugar tong) may be used to immobilize fracture while excessive tissue swelling is present. As edema subsides, readjustment of splint or application of plaster or fiberglass cast may be required for continued alignment of the fracture. 6. Maintain position or integrity of traction. Traction permits pulling on the fractured bone’s long axis and overcoming muscle tension or shortening to facilitate alignment and union. Skeletal traction (pins, wires, tongs) permits greater weight for traction pull than can be applied to skin tissues. 7. Ascertain that all clamps are functional. Lubricate pulleys and check ropes for fraying. Secure and wrap knots with adhesive tape. Ensures that traction setup is functioning properly to avoid interruption of fracture approximation. 8. Keep ropes unobstructed with weights hanging free; avoid lifting or releasing weights. An optimal amount of traction weight is maintained. Ensuring free movement of weights during patient repositioning avoids sudden excess pull on fracture with associated pain and muscle spasm. ADVERTISEMENTS 9. Assist with placement of lifts under bed wheels if indicated. Helps maintain proper patient position and function of traction by providing a counterbalance. 10. Position the patient, so that appropriate pull is maintained on the long axis of the bone. Promotes bone alignment and reduces the risk of complications (delayed healing and nonunion). 11. Review restrictions imposed by therapy such as not bending at the waist and sitting up with Buck traction or not turning below the waist with Russell traction. Maintains integrity of pull of traction. 12. Assess the integrity of the external fixation device. Hoffman traction provides stabilization and rigid support for fractured bone without ropes, pulleys, or weights, thus allowing for greater patient mobility, comfort and facilitating wound care. Loose or excessively tightened clamps or nuts can alter the compression of the frame, causing misalignment. 13. Review follow-up and serial X-rays. Provides visual evidence of proper alignment or beginning callus formation and healing process to determine the level of activity and need for changes in or additional therapy. 14. Administer alendronate (Fosamax) as indicated. Acts as a specific inhibitor of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, allowing the bone formation to progress at a higher ratio, promoting healing of fractures and decreasing the rate of bone turnover in the presence of osteoporosis. 15. Initiate or maintain electrical stimulation, if used. It may be indicated to promote bone growth in the presence of delayed healing or nonunion. ADVERTISEMENTS 1. Risk for Falls Next Acute Pain See Also You may also like the following posts and care plans: Nursing Care Plan: The Ultimate Guide and Database – the ultimate database of nursing care plans for different diseases and conditions! Get the complete list! Nursing Diagnosis: The Complete Guide and List – archive of different nursing diagnoses with their definition, related factors, goals and nursing interventions with rationale. Musculoskeletal Care Plans Care plans related to the musculoskeletal system: Amputation | 4 Care Plans Congenital Hip Dysplasia | 4 Care Plans Fracture | 8 Care Plans Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | 4 Care Plans Laminectomy (Disc Surgery) | 8 Care Plans Osteoarthritis | 4 Care Plans Osteoporosis | 4 Care Plans Rheumatoid Arthritis | 6 Care Plans Scoliosis | 4 Care Plans Total Joint (Knee, Hip) Replacement | 5 Care Plans Musculoskeletal Care Plans, Nursing Care Plans acute pain, Diagnostic Procedure, fracture, impaired physical mobility, impaired skin integrity, Knowledge Deficit, Risk for Impaired Gas Exchange, risk for infection, Risk for Peripheral Neurovascular Dysfunction, risk for trauma Florence Nightingale: Environmental Theory US Nurses Fight to Unionize Matt Vera, BSN, R.N. Matt Vera is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing since 2009 and is currently working as a full-time writer and editor for Nurseslabs. During his time as a student, he knows how frustrating it is to cram on difficult nursing topics. Finding help online is nearly impossible. His situation drove his passion for helping student nurses by creating content and lectures that are easy to digest. Knowing how valuable nurses are in delivering quality healthcare but limited in number, he wants to educate and inspire nursing students. As a nurse educator since 2010, his goal in Nurseslabs is to simplify the learning process, break down complicated topics, help motivate learners, and look for unique ways of assisting students in mastering core nursing concepts effectively. 3 thoughts on “11 Fracture Nursing Care Plans”