Nursing Care Plan for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Also searched as: acute renal failure
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
A rapid decline in kidney function causing fluid, electrolyte, and waste imbalances. Nursing care protects remaining function and prevents complications.
Build your own Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) care plan in minutes → the free Care Plan Builder walks you from assessment to evaluation and exports a clean PDF.
Assessment
- Subjective: fatigue, nausea, reduced urination
- Objective: rising creatinine/BUN, oliguria, edema, electrolyte abnormalities (esp. potassium)
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: edema, weight gain, decreased urine output
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will maintain fluid and electrolyte balance and stable kidney values during the care period.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Monitor I/O, daily weight, creatinine/BUN, and electrolytes (especially potassium). | Detects fluid overload and dangerous hyperkalemia early. |
| Manage fluids per orders and review all medications for nephrotoxicity/renal dosing. | Prevents further kidney injury. |
| Watch for and treat hyperkalemia; prepare for dialysis if indicated. | Hyperkalemia can be life-threatening. |
| Address the underlying cause (hypovolemia, obstruction, nephrotoxins). | Reversing the cause supports recovery. |
Evaluation
- Stable/ improving kidney values
- Electrolytes within safe range
- No fluid-overload complications
Stop rewriting care plans by hand
CarePlanKit builds a complete, formatted care plan for any condition — assessment, diagnosis, SMART goals, interventions with rationale — and exports to PDF or Word in your school's format. Free to start.
Build a care plan free Preview Pro (coming soon)Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Excess fluid volume related to reduced kidney function. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)?
Key interventions: Monitor I/O, daily weight, creatinine/BUN, and electrolytes (especially potassium).; Manage fluids per orders and review all medications for nephrotoxicity/renal dosing.; Watch for and treat hyperkalemia; prepare for dialysis if indicated. — each paired with a rationale.
Can I use this care plan for my assignment?
Use it as a study example and starting draft. Always adapt it to your specific patient and have it reviewed by your instructor. This is an educational tool, not medical advice.
For nursing education only — NOT medical advice and not a clinical decision-making tool. Nothing here should be used to assess, diagnose, or treat any real patient. Care plans and answers are unverified study drafts to review with your instructor or a licensed clinician and adapt to the individual patient and your institution’s protocols before any use.
Last reviewed 2026-07. Educational content based on standard nursing practice; not medical advice and not affiliated with NANDA-I/NIC/NOC. Always follow your institution's protocols and your instructor's guidance.