Nursing Care Plan for Anxiety
Also searched as: anxiety disorder
A vague, uneasy feeling of dread from a perceived threat, affecting comfort and coping. Nursing care reduces anxiety and builds coping.
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
Build your own Anxiety care plan in minutes → the free Care Plan Builder walks you from assessment to evaluation and exports a clean PDF.
What do you assess in the Anxiety care plan?
- Subjective: worry, apprehension, difficulty concentrating
- Objective: restlessness, elevated HR/BP, trembling
Which nursing diagnoses apply to Anxiety?
As evidenced by: reported worry, physiologic arousal, restlessness
What are the goals and expected outcomes for Anxiety?
Each goal below follows the SMART format: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound.
- The patient will report reduced anxiety and demonstrate one coping strategy by end of shift.
What are the nursing interventions for Anxiety, and why?
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Stay calm; provide honest, clear information about what to expect. | Uncertainty fuels anxiety; information reduces it. |
| Teach relaxation and slow breathing techniques. | Activates the parasympathetic response. |
| Encourage the patient to name specific fears and use support. | Targeted reassurance is more effective. |
| Administer anxiolytics if ordered and monitor effect. | Supports comfort when non-drug measures are insufficient. |
How do you evaluate the Anxiety care plan?
- Reports reduced anxiety
- Uses a coping technique
- Calmer vital signs
Where do these Anxiety recommendations come from?
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)Which nursing diagnoses are used in Anxiety?
Anxiety care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Anxiety?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Anxiety related to a health crisis and uncertainty. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Anxiety?
Key interventions: Stay calm; provide honest, clear information about what to expect.; Teach relaxation and slow breathing techniques.; Encourage the patient to name specific fears and use support., 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.