Nursing Care Plan for Bowel Obstruction
Also searched as: intestinal obstruction, ileus
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
A partial or complete blockage that stops the normal passage of intestinal contents, risking distension, fluid loss, and perforation. Nursing care focuses on bowel rest, fluid balance, pain control, and early recognition of deterioration.
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Assessment
- Subjective: cramping abdominal pain, inability to pass stool or gas, nausea
- Objective: abdominal distension, vomiting, high-pitched or absent bowel sounds, imaging showing obstruction
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: vomiting, distension, poor intake
As evidenced by: reports of cramping pain, guarding
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will maintain fluid balance with stable vital signs during care.
- The patient will report controlled pain and show no signs of perforation.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Keep the patient NPO and maintain nasogastric decompression as ordered. | Rests the bowel and relieves distension and vomiting. |
| Give IV fluids and monitor intake/output and electrolytes. | Replaces losses trapped in the bowel and from vomiting. |
| Assess pain, bowel sounds, and distension regularly. | Tracks response and detects worsening or perforation. |
| Report increasing pain, fever, or rigidity immediately. | These signal perforation or ischemia needing surgery. |
Evaluation
- Distension and vomiting decrease
- Fluid/electrolyte balance maintained
- No signs of perforation
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)Bowel Obstruction care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Bowel Obstruction?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Deficient fluid volume related to vomiting and fluid sequestration in the bowel; Acute pain related to bowel distension and cramping. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Bowel Obstruction?
Key interventions: Keep the patient NPO and maintain nasogastric decompression as ordered.; Give IV fluids and monitor intake/output and electrolytes.; Assess pain, bowel sounds, and distension regularly. — 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.