Nursing Interventions and Rationales

- The nursing interventions for a client with GAD are aimed at reducing anxiety and worry, enhancing coping skills and resources, promoting physical and mental health, and preventing complications.

- Some of the nursing interventions and rationales are :

• Establish a therapeutic relationship with the client based on trust, respect, empathy, and genuineness. This helps to create a safe and supportive environment for the client to express feelings, concerns, and needs.
• Provide education and information to the client about GAD, its causes, symptoms, treatment options, and prognosis. This helps to increase the client’s knowledge, insight, motivation, and adherence to treatment.
• Encourage the client to participate in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is an evidence-based psychotherapy that focuses on identifying and challenging negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to worry and anxiety. This helps to modify the client’s cognitive distortions, reduce anxiety symptoms, and improve coping skills.
• Encourage the client to practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, meditation, or yoga. This helps to reduce physiological arousal, muscle tension, and stress levels.
• Encourage the client to engage in physical activity, such as walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling. This helps to release endorphins, improve mood, and distract from worry.
• Encourage the client to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a balanced diet, drinking enough water, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and illicit drugs, and following a regular sleep schedule. This helps to enhance physical and mental well-being and prevent complications.
• Encourage the client to use positive coping strategies, such as problem-solving, goal-setting, time management, assertiveness, humor, or hobbies. This helps to increase the client’s sense of control, self-efficacy, and satisfaction.
• Encourage the client to seek social support from family, friends, or support groups. This helps to reduce isolation, loneliness, and stigma.

- Administer prescribed anti-anxiety medications as ordered by the provider. Some of the common medications used for GAD include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine or sertraline; serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as venlafaxine or duloxetine; buspirone; or benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam or lorazepam. These medications help to reduce anxiety symptoms by modulating neurotransmitter activity in the brain.

- Monitor for adverse effects of anti-anxiety medications, such as nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, weight gain or loss, sexual dysfunction, or dependence. Report any abnormal

- Report any abnormal findings or reactions to the provider and adjust the medication dosage or regimen as needed. This helps to ensure the safety and effectiveness of pharmacological treatment.

- Evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of nursing care for the client with GAD by using outcome criteria, such as:

• Reduced frequency, intensity, and duration of worry and anxiety symptoms
• Improved coping skills and resources
• Enhanced physical and mental health and well-being
• Increased social and occupational functioning and quality of life
• Absence of complications or adverse effects

- Document the nursing care process, including assessment, diagnosis, interventions, outcomes, and evaluation. This helps to provide evidence-based and quality care, communicate with other healthcare professionals, and facilitate continuity of care.