Abdominal Pain Care Plan
Relieve Abdominal Pain – 1. Offer non-pharmacological interventions. Non-pharmacological therapy plays a significant role in the treatment of abdominal pain. It is a practical, cost-effective approach to reducing the dosage of analgesic drugs required. It decreases the side effects and reduces drug dependence and healthcare costs.
- Proton pump inhibitors or antacids reduce or neutralize stomach acid
- Antispasmodics relieve spasming due to irritable bowel syndrome
- Loperamide stops diarrhea
- Bismuth-containing products coat the stomach to reduce nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea
- Stool softeners and laxatives relieve constipation
- Antiemetics relieve nausea and vomiting
- Simethicone helps the body pass gas easier
- Opioid analgesics relieve severe abdominal pain
3. Rest the bowel. Giving the digestive system a rest from ingesting anything by mouth is known as bowel rest. Sometimes, bowel rest involves refraining from all oral intake. The diet is usually advanced as tolerated, from clear liquids to bland foods, before returning to a normal diet.
- Bowel rest allows the intestines to recover from an infection, disease, trauma, or injury.4.
- Insert a nasogastric tube.
- This is a common intervention for patients with bowel obstruction as it allows the stomach to decompress.5.
- Ensure proper hydration.
- Constipation can occur due to insufficient water to move waste through the intestines.
Abdominal pain, bloating, and stomach cramps may result. Dehydration involves more than just a deficiency in water consumption. The body lacks the proper electrolyte balance when dehydrated.6. Warm the GI tract. Warm fluid consumption stimulates the digestive system and helps speed the elimination process by causing the intestines to contract.7.
- Consider natural remedies.
- Peppermint, chamomile, and ginger are the three natural remedies most frequently used to alleviate abdominal pain.
- They reduce GI upset and symptoms like nausea.8.
- Avoid triggers.
- Limit the consumption of alcohol, coffee, caffeinated tea, and spicy food because these are gastric irritants and can exacerbate abdominal pain.9.
Encourage the BRAT diet. Encourage the BRAT diet for vomiting, diarrhea, and GI upset. Begin with clear liquids when the patient can eat again, then move on to bland foods like bananas, rice, applesauce, or toast. None of these foods have salt or spices, which can further irritate the stomach, and they are low in fiber making stools firmer.10.
- Promote ambulation.
- Ambulation increases blood flow.
- It helps wounds and injuries heal more quickly (especially post-abdominal surgery).
- Movement promotes peristalsis and improves overall abdominal muscle tone and strength.11.
- Treat the underlying cause.
- Abdominal pain can encompass discomfort from the esophagus to the pelvis.
Most patients only require symptom relief, and many instances of abdominal pain will resolve without lasting effects. If abdominal pain is persistent or recurrent, this warrants further investigation. Mild to moderate causes of abdominal pain may include conditions like:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
- Constipation
- Poor diet choices/gastric irritants
- Acid reflux
More serious causes of abdominal pain include:
- Appendicitis
- Cholecystitis
- Pancreatitis
- Peritonitis
- Ruptured spleen
- Hernias
- Endometriosis
- Cancer
- Bowel obstruction
- Gallstones
- Kidney stones
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis
12. Teach the patient about pain management. Adequate information about pain management ensures the proper use of pain relievers as well as abstaining from foods or triggers that cause abdominal pain.
Contents
What is the do’s and don’ts of abdominal pain?
If your stomach is upset, eat mild foods, such as rice, dry toast or crackers, bananas, and applesauce. Try eating several small meals instead of two or three large ones. Wait until 48 hours after all symptoms have gone away before you have spicy foods, alcohol, and drinks that contain caffeine.
What are the 6 F’s of abdominal distension?
4. Etiology – To label a symptom “functional” begs the question, “Why does it occur?” There have been many suggestions ( Table 1 ). I still remember the medical school mnemonic-food, fat, flab, fluid, flatus, feces, fetus, factitious, fatal, and fruitcake.
What is the most common severe abdominal pain?
Some of the most common causes of abdominal pain are appendicitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, diverticulitis, and small bowel obstruction.
What is the McBurney’s point?
What is McBurney’s point? McBurney’s point refers to the point on the lower right quadrant of the abdomen at which tenderness is maximal in cases of acute appendicitis. Acute appendicitis is characterized by the inflammation, infection, or swelling of the appendix.
What are nursing interventions for abdominal pain?
Nursing Process – Nurses conduct thorough histories and physical assessments to assist with the diagnosis of abdominal pain. This can include diet, medical and surgical histories, and detailed pain assessments. Nurses prepare patients for diagnostic tests and review results to collaborate with the healthcare team.
What is the nursing care plan for labor pain?
Nursing Assessment and Rationales – The following are the nursing assessment for this labor nursing care plan.1. Assess intake & output. Note urine-specific gravity. Intake and output should be approximately equal, dependent on the degree of hydration. The urine concentration increases as urine output decreases and may warn of dehydration.
Additionally, there can be insensible fluid losses, such as diaphoresis and increased rate and depth of respirations.2. Determine cultural practices regarding intake. Some cultures, like Mexican women, practice drinking milk to make the babies larger and drinking chamomile tea to have a healthy labor.
Some practices known by women to help easier delivery include making the pregnant woman have oily bread, sweetened fruit juice, butter, or molasses (Ozkan et al., 2017).3. Assess the client’s vital signs and fetal heart rate (FHR) as indicated. Increases in temperature, BP, pulse, respirations, and FHR may indicate the presence of dehydration or hypovolemia.
- Although a drop in BP is generally a late sign of fluid deficit, widening pulse pressure may occur early.
- Epidural anesthesia may cause hypotension.
- Therefore, the nurse should ensure that the client is well hydrated before epidural administration.4.
- Assess the client’s skin temperature and palpate peripheral pulses.
Cool, clammy skin or weak pulses indicate decreased peripheral circulation and the need for additional fluid replacement. Diaphoresis occurs with accompanying evaporation to cool and limit excessive warming.5. Monitor the client’s hemoglobin and hematocrit level.
