Nursing Care Plan for Cholecystitis
Also searched as: gallbladder inflammation
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
Inflammation of the gallbladder, most often from a gallstone blocking the cystic duct. Nursing care focuses on pain relief, gut rest with IV fluids, watching for perforation, and preparing the patient for gallbladder surgery.
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Assessment
- Subjective: right upper quadrant pain radiating to the right shoulder or back, worse after fatty meals; nausea; chills; reports prior gallstone attacks
- Objective: positive Murphy's sign (breath catch on RUQ palpation), fever, tachycardia, vomiting, elevated WBC, thickened gallbladder wall or stones on ultrasound
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: RUQ pain rated 8/10, guarding, positive Murphy's sign
Risk factors: repeated vomiting, NPO status, fever
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will report pain at or below 3/10 within 60 minutes of analgesia.
- The patient will keep stable vital signs and urine output at or above 0.5 mL/kg/hr while NPO, through surgery or discharge.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Assess pain location, severity, and radiation; give prescribed analgesics and antiemetics and reassess. | Controls symptoms and tracks changes that may signal a complication. |
| Keep the patient NPO and give IV fluids as ordered. | Gut rest reduces gallbladder stimulation; IV fluids replace losses from vomiting and fasting. |
| Monitor temperature, WBC, and the abdomen for rigidity, rebound, or suddenly worse pain. | Rising fever and WBC or a rigid abdomen suggest gangrene or perforation and need urgent report. |
| Prepare the patient for laparoscopic cholecystectomy when planned and teach post-op deep breathing and early ambulation. | Surgery is the definitive treatment; teaching before surgery improves lung expansion and recovery after it. |
Evaluation
- Pain at or below the agreed level
- No fever spike, rising WBC, or abdominal rigidity
- Patient tolerates diet as advanced or recovers from surgery without complications
Sources & further reading
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Build a care plan free Preview Pro (coming soon)Cholecystitis care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Cholecystitis?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Acute pain related to gallbladder inflammation and biliary obstruction; Risk for deficient fluid volume related to vomiting and restricted oral intake. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Cholecystitis?
Key interventions: Assess pain location, severity, and radiation; give prescribed analgesics and antiemetics and reassess.; Keep the patient NPO and give IV fluids as ordered.; Monitor temperature, WBC, and the abdomen for rigidity, rebound, or suddenly worse pain., 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.