Nursing & Health Sciences

What is a Care Plan?

A document used in healthcare to document the care of a patient. A care plan includes the patient’s health assessment, treatment goals, nursing interventions, and a care evaluation.

Where to Find Care Plans and How to Create a Care Plan

Some databases contain sample care plans, include care plans in a research paper and have books detailing how to create a care plan. Some credible websites provide helpful guidance in developing a care plan.

Library Databases with Care Plans

Access Medicine

This database provides access to content on care planning in the formats of Book Chapters, Tables, Images, Quick Reference Resources, Flashcards, & Patient Education. To access content, search on the topic of "care plan*"

CINAHL with Full-Text 

This database provides multiple access points to information on Care Planning. Be sure to select only this database on the A-Z List of Databases to access the CINAHL-specific limiters (e.g. there is a box you can check to limit to evidence-based content).

In Advanced Search

1. Choose Care Plans in the Publication Type limiter box (scroll down). This will be limited to articles that contain care plans or helpful information for creating them.
2. Click the link for Evidence-Based Care sheets. While different from care plans, some of the information can be used in a care plan for patient education and evidence-based content to support the care plan

 

DYNAMED

1. Search on the keyword phrase  "care plan*" to access content on these topics:  Approach To Patient (8), Condition (117), Device (2), Drug Review (4), Evaluation (3), Management (73), Prevention (6), Procedure (4), Quality Improvement (5)

 

NURSING REFERENCE CENTER PLUS  (NRC+)

This database provides multiple access points to Care Plan content.

1. Scroll down and click the link for "Care Plans".

2. Click on the "More" link to access books on Care Planning.

For example:

Nursing Care Planning Made Incredibly Easy!

Nursing Care Plans: Guidelines for Individualizing Client Care Across the Life Span

 

3. Search on “care plan*” and then use the limiters to narrow it further. This search will provide a broad overview of the care plan content in NRC+. This search is another approach if the links to Care Plan and the ebooks do not provide you with content on your specific topic in care planning.

Web Resources for Care Plans