Nursing Assessment and Interventions

- The nursing assessment for PTSD includes: obtaining a comprehensive history of the trauma and its impact on the client’s life; screening for PTSD symptoms using standardized tools (such as the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 or the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5); assessing for co-occurring conditions (such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal ideation); evaluating the client’s coping skills, social support, and resources; performing a physical examination to identify any signs of injury, illness, or neglect.

- The nursing interventions for PTSD include: establishing a therapeutic relationship with the client based on trust, empathy, respect, and safety; providing psychoeducation about PTSD and its treatment options; promoting self-care and healthy lifestyle habits (such as nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene); encouraging the client to express and process emotions related to the trauma; teaching the client relaxation techniques (such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery) to reduce stress and anxiety; assisting the client to identify and challenge negative or distorted thoughts and beliefs; helping the client to develop and implement coping strategies (such as problem-solving, assertiveness, distraction) to manage triggers and symptoms; facilitating exposure therapy (such as prolonged exposure or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) to help the client confront and desensitize to traumatic memories and stimuli; providing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help the client modify maladaptive thoughts and behaviors; supporting the client to participate in group therapy or support groups to share experiences and receive feedback from others with similar problems; referring the client to other health care professionals or community resources as needed (such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, peer specialists).