Risk Of Injury Nursing Diagnosis

Risk of injury nursing diagnosis is important so you can prevent and minimize the risk of injuries.

The following nursing diagnoses may be appropriate for patients who are at risk for injury:

Increased susceptibility to injury because of inability to sense position and movement of the body in space. Increased susceptibility to injury due to impaired or altered perception of environmental hazards. Increased susceptibility to injury due to impaired ability to recognize internal signals (e.g., pain, hunger, thirst). Increase susceptibility to injury due to impaired ability to make physical adjustments for protection from environmental factors (e.g., cold, heat, noise). Vulnerability to injury because of mental deficiency or altered capacity (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, dementia). Vulnerable to injury related insufficient knowledge of how protect one’s self from actual or potential threats of harm

Risk Of Injury Nursing Diagnosis

1 Increased susceptibility to injury because of inability to sense position and movement of the body in space.

This nursing diagnosis describes the patient who has an impaired ability to sense position and movement of the body in space. The patient may have a decreased ability to sense position and movement of the body in space. For example:

• The patient is unable to sense position and/or movement of their head (e.g., dizziness).
• The patient has problems with balance, including feeling unsteady or unable to maintain balance during normal activities (e.g., walking).

2 Increased susceptibility to injury due to impaired or altered perception of environmental hazards.

Increased susceptibility to injury due to impaired or altered perception of environmental hazards. Examples of environmental hazards include motor vehicles, electrical equipment, and bodies of water. Impaired or altered perception may be due to intoxication, medication effects, disease processes (e.g., diabetes), or other causes (e.g., alcohol abuse). The nurse should assess the client’s ability to perceive such hazards as well as his ability to avoid them if needed; additional safety measures may need to be provided in some instances. The nurse should also consider how much assistance is needed for the person who has been injured so that he can get home safely from an unfamiliar place where he was injured (e.g., a park). The nurse should teach clients how they can decrease their chances of being injured by identifying potential hazards and ways that they can avoid them if necessary (e.g., locking up medications when not in use).

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3 Increased susceptibility to injury due to impaired ability to recognize internal signals (e.g., pain, hunger, thirst).

The ability to recognize internal signals is important for preventing injury. The body uses these signals to show you when it’s time to rest and recover, or when your body needs additional fluids. If you are not aware of these clues, then you may be more likely to ignore them and continue with activity until it is too late. Learning how your body works can help prevent injuries before they occur.

The most common injuries resulting from failure to recognize internal signals include:

• Muscle fatigue (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome)
• Heat-related illness (e.g., heat stroke)
• Dehydration
• Medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus or heart disease which require careful monitoring

4 Increase susceptibility to injury due to impaired ability to make physical adjustments for protection from environmental factors (e.g., cold, heat, noise).

It is important to consider the risk of injury as a nursing diagnosis because it can be related to other diagnoses. The following are examples of how you might use this diagnosis:

• Inadequate Nutrition, Less Than Body Requirements (Injury)

5 Vulnerability to injury because of mental deficiency or altered capacity (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, dementia).

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Dementia
• Mental deficiency or altered capacity (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, dementia).

6 Vulnerable to injury related to insufficient knowledge of how to protect one’s self from actual or potential threats of harm.

Vulnerable to injury related to insufficient knowledge of how to protect one’s self from actual or potential threats of harm.

Example: A patient who is unable to recognize potential risks, threats and dangers due to developmental delay may be vulnerable to injury if left unattended in an area where there are hazardous materials or equipment which could cause injury should they come into contact with it.

7 Relevant nursing diagnoses are important so you can prevent and minimize the risk of injuries

As you know, risk of injury is a nursing diagnosis. In order to help prevent and minimize the risk of injuries, it’s important to understand why that nursing diagnosis is used.

If a patient is likely to have an injury because of their condition or due to conditions in their environment, then using this nursing diagnosis can help you prevent injuries from happening by making sure those environmental conditions are safe for them. For example, if someone has trouble standing up on their own because of weakness or balance issues caused by illness or injury, putting a chair near the bed at all times so they can sit down easily will help prevent them from falling down while getting out of bed—which could lead to broken bones!

Closing

Nursing Diagnoses are an important aspect of nursing care and treatment. They allow you to identify the root cause of a patient’s problem. This allows for more effective treatment plans, which can in turn lead to better outcomes for your patients! If you want more information about how these work or what they mean, check out our Nursing Diagnosis page here: https://www.alpinehospitalitycareers.com/blog/nursing-diagnosis/.