Last updated on May 18th, 2022 at 07:43 am
Nursing Care Plans for Fear Nursing Care Plans Diagnosis and Interventions
Fear NCLEX Review and Nursing Care Plans
The onset of fear may be troublesome and upsetting, and if not addressed earlier, it can lead to a drastic decline in the quality of life. Fear is defined as a real or perceived threat of danger or harm, and this can be very distressing if it affects a person’s daily activities.
The source of fear may vary, but mostly it is derived from an individual’s life experience. There are many related factors such as influence and culture that affect how fear is managed. The most common representation of fear in the healthcare setting is seen in patients who have doubts and worries about undergoing diagnostic procedures and hospitalizations.
It is crucial to identify the fear of a patient in order to address and provide care for them. Determining the level of fear and its alarming levels would help manage the conditions and help patients take back control over their life.
Types and Causes of Fear
There are many possible causes of fear. Its complexity cannot simply be limited to a person’s past trauma, phobia, etc., but mostly fear emanates from a person’s actual life experience. Some of the common causes of fear are the following:
- Innate fear. Fear and Anxiety go hand in hand since both produce a similar stress reaction. They are often linked to one another. An existing disorder can trigger fear in a person. In that case, the presence of anxiety disorders can lead to such. Fear can manifest as fear about the condition, loss of control, loss of innervation, and loss of a functional role.
- Learned fear. This type of fear is usually a result of environmental triggers. It can also be a form of response to a specific situation, object, and person. The person may imagine a potential threat in a situation as a response to an external stimulus.
Related Factors to Fear
- Culture
- Age
- Gender
- Influence
- Religion
- Environmental triggers
Signs and Symptoms of Fear
- Panic
- Anorexia
- Exhaustion
- Nauseous vomiting
- Paleness
- Tensing of muscles
- Increased BP, respiration, pulse rate
- Frightened behavior
- Crying, protesting
- Expression of fear such as:
- Fear of death
- Fear of pain
- Fear of injury
- Fear of a diagnostic test
- Fear of invasive procedures
Fear Nursing Diagnosis
Fear Nursing Care Plan 1
Anxiety Disorders
Nursing Diagnosis: Fear related to phobia stimulation, physiological and mental conduct suggestive of panic, secondary to anxiety disorder, as evidenced by verbalization of unwarranted fear, altered behavior, and activity.
Desired Outcomes:
- The patient will resume daily activities.
- The patient will express understanding and recognition of fears.
- The patient will use coping techniques to manage fear.
| Fear Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
| Before initial assessment, ensure that the patient’s environment is accommodating, peaceful and non-threatening. | It is important that the patient feels safe in his/her environment. This helps avert feelings of anxiety and fear to thrive. Being provided care by a calm and understanding nurse eases these negative feelings. In some cases, extreme panic levels can make the patient fear for his/her own life. |
| Assess the patient’s perceived harm to physical integrity or threat to self-image. | To better understand the patient’s perceived fear of a situation, a person, a thing. To help reduce the patient’s adverse reaction to a stimulus. |
| Recommend that the patient replace negative thoughts with positive ones instead. | Thoughts heavily influence the emotional aspect of a person. Changing a negative mindset to a positive one reinforces coping with criticism. It allows the patient to see the problem in a different light. Simultaneously, positive thinking reduces the level of anxiety. |
| When formulating a treatment regimen, the nurse should allow active participation of the patient in the decision-making process. | Active participation of the patient and allowing him/her to make decisions, reinforces control and self-integrity to one’s treatment. Also, the patient’s ritualistic behavior can easily be assimilated with the coping strategies as evaluated. |
| In the event of fear in a situation, encourage the patient not to panic and instead take a brief moment to stop and wait. Encourage the patient to carry out relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises or guided muscle relaxation. | When fear takes over, it can cloud the patient’s thought process and control of the situation. This real or perceived threat can lead to a lack or absence of response on the patient’s part. On the contrary, by closely recognizing the onset of anxiety, the patient can reduce its levels and outcome by using relaxation techniques. |
Fear Nursing Care Plan 2
Nursing Diagnosis: Fear related to unremarkable family dynamics, and environmental triggers, secondary to somatoform disorders, as evidenced by painful urination, chest, back, joints pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, impaired menstrual bleeding, sexual indifference, erectile dysfunction, vomiting during pregnancy and impaired coordination.
Desired Outcome: The patient will employ effective coping strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and fear.
| Fear Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
| Determine the patient’s medical history, detailing prior physical problems, undertaken medical tests, and previous surgical procedures. | Thorough reporting of the patient’s medical history would provide insight into the patient’s condition. |
| Employing open-ended questions, ask the patient to express his/her emotions about the condition—accounts of physical symptoms and prior struggle in a specific situation. | Open-ended questions are effective and adaptable to the patient’s needs since it does not limit the patient to express his/her feelings. Allowing the patient to verbally communicate his/her experience and symptoms reinforces the patient’s integrity and builds trust in the nurse-patient relationship. |
| Observe the patient for any unusual behavior and general demeanor. | The patient suffering from somatoform disorders usually exhibits altered motor behavior. It can either result in decreased movement with an antalgic gait or a painful expression or discomfort evident in his/her appearance. |
| Educate the patient on the disease process. Assist the patient in understanding the change in routine to improve wellness and health behaviors. | To help the patient understand his/her illness. Being aware of the condition lessens the fear of receiving treatment and undergoing several medical diagnostic tests. |
| Educate the patient with effective coping techniques such as: Deep breathing exercisesMuscle relaxation exercisesListening to musicRole-playing communicationGuided imagery | To help the patient progressively reach a state of relaxation. |
Fear Nursing Care Plan 3
Nursing Diagnosis: Fear related to invasive surgical procedures and extended hospitalization, secondary to heart failure, as evidenced by surgical procedures, treatment, pain expectation, the anticipation of an imagined threat or danger, and the possibility of death.
Desired Outcome: The patient will express fears and demonstrate effective coping to improve psychological and physical comfort.
| Fear Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
| Ensure that the patient is comfortable and at ease during initial assessment. | To help alleviate the patient’s negative feelings and emotions. |
| Ensure that the patient’s environment is non-threatening, safe, peaceful and quiet. | To help the patient become more relaxed. |
| Employing open-ended questions, have the patient express his/her fears and feelings about the condition. | The use of open-ended questions will help the patient freely express his/her feelings and experience regarding the condition. This will also help the patient recognize his/her fears with the condition. It enables room for communication, thereby reducing fear in a patient. |
| Determine the patient’s coping strategies, both past, and present. Document the patient’s coping measures | Documenting the patient’s past and present ritualistic coping strategies helps identify the appropriate therapeutic measures to employ. This information will aid in the formulation of coping strategies that the patient can easily adapt to. |
| While communicating, the nurse should express openness in behavior. | This helps build the nurse-patient relationship. It also promotes the patient’s feelings of stability in the environment. |
| Using layman’s terms, educate the patient about the disease’s pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures, and management. | Teaching the patient using simple language or easy-to-understand explanations will be more effective since the patient will have an easier time following instruction. Simple statements will also help the patient understand the disease process. |
| Instigate a support system for the patient by allowing participation from family, friends, and loved ones. | To better reduce the patient’s level of fear. Participation or support from his/her family and other loved ones enhances the patient’s self-esteem. Often, their support is more likely to bring a positive change and outcome to the patient. |
Fear Nursing Care Plan 4
Surgery/ Perioperative Client
Nursing Diagnosis: Fear related to unfamiliarity with a new environment, secondary to surgery, as evidenced by fear of consequences, increased tension, restlessness, decreased self-assurance.
Desired Outcome: The patient will demonstrate effective coping strategies to address fears and anxiety.
| Fear Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
| Educate the patient prior to operation, including taking an appointment with an OR personnel, if possible, prior to surgery. Disclose information on areas of concern and what to expect, such as bright lights, IV fluid, cuff, BP, autoclave machine, suction noises in the background, and use of masksEducating the patient prior to diagnostic and therapeutic engagement will help reduce fear and anxiety. It reassures the patient since the provided information is likely to answer some of his/her doubts and worries. Subjecting the patient in an unfamiliar and new situation is guaranteed to arouse fear; therefore, assurance and providing the needed information help reduce negative feelings. | |
| Inform the patient of the handling nurse’s responsibilities and role in the intraoperative process. | This helps build the nurse-patient relationship. It establishes the patient’s trust and improves control over a new environment. |
| Determine the patient’s fear levels prior to a surgical procedure. | A high fear level may lead to a delay, rescheduling or postponement of surgical procedure. Intense fears may lead to extreme stress response, which can increase the risk of surgery and development of a reaction to anesthetics. |
| During transfer to the OR, safeguard the patient from possible body exposure. | The patient may be wary about his/her dignity. Preventing any form of exposure would reduce loss of composure and integrity. |
| If increasing levels of fear are observed, confer postponement or discontinuation of the surgery to the handling physician, anesthesiologist, the patient, family members, and guardians | To reduce the risk of further complications. |
Fear Nursing Care Plan 5
Brain Cancer
Nursing Diagnosis: Fear related to change in wellness and threat to self-image, secondary to brain cancer, as evidenced by increased concern about diagnosis, uneasiness, fear and worry of pre and postoperative procedures, social separation, and insomnia.
Desired Outcome:
- The patient will report on reduced fear and anxiety.
- The patient will appear relaxed.
| Fear Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
| Using open-ended questions, evaluate the anxiety level of the patient, the possible triggers, and obtain any information to potentiate relief after surgery. | To establish a baseline review on the patient’s anxiety degree. Using open-ended questions will help the patient recognize fear and worries about the several surgical procedures and treatment plans. |
| Ensure to communicate in a calm and approachable demeanor. Ensure that the environment is non-threatening by providing sufficient light, ventilation, and reduced background noise. | To help the patient become more relaxed. |
| Encourage the patient to express his/her feelings and thoughts about the condition, its complications, and prognosis. | This helps the patient alleviate his/her negative feelings, thereby decreasing anxiety and fear. Allowing the patient to release his/her emotions also provides healthcare providers the opportunity to identify therapeutic measures to apply. |
| Provide a support system to the patient by discussing the available treatment regimen with family and significant loved ones. | To promote feelings of care and concern. This also encourages the patient’s integrity and motivation. Discussing psychotherapy options with a licensed therapist will help the patient and other/s understand the effective management of the symptoms or condition. |
Nursing References
Ackley, B. J., Ladwig, G. B., Makic, M. B., Martinez-Kratz, M. R., & Zanotti, M. (2020). Nursing diagnoses handbook: An evidence-based guide to planning care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Gulanick, M., & Myers, J. L. (2022). Nursing care plans: Diagnoses, interventions, & outcomes. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Ignatavicius, D. D., Workman, M. L., Rebar, C. R., & Heimgartner, N. M. (2018). Medical-surgical nursing: Concepts for interprofessional collaborative care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
Silvestri, L. A. (2020). Saunders comprehensive review for the NCLEX-RN examination. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Buy on Amazon
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The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes.
This information is intended to be nursing education and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
