Nursing Care Plan for Kidney Stones
Also searched as: nephrolithiasis, renal calculi, urolithiasis
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
Hard mineral deposits that form in the kidney and can lodge in the ureter, causing waves of severe flank pain as the urinary tract contracts around them. Nursing care centers on controlling renal colic, keeping urine flowing, catching the stone for analysis, and teaching the fluid habits that prevent the next one.
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Assessment
- Subjective: patient reports sudden severe flank pain radiating to the groin, coming in waves, with nausea and sometimes a constant urge to urinate
- Objective: restlessness and inability to lie still during pain waves, costovertebral angle tenderness, hematuria on urinalysis, vomiting, low-grade temperature; stone visible on CT or ultrasound
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: patient rates flank pain severe and wave-like, restlessness, guarding, elevated pulse and blood pressure during colic episodes
Risk factors: partial obstruction on imaging, reduced urine output on the affected side, history of prior urinary tract infections
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will report pain at or below their agreed acceptable level within 60 minutes of each analgesic intervention.
- The patient will maintain clear, adequate urine output and remain free of fever and other infection signs through discharge.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Give analgesia as prescribed and reassess pain at peak effect, scheduling doses ahead of predictable colic waves rather than chasing them. | Renal colic is among the most severe pains in medicine, and control is better maintained than regained. |
| Encourage fluid intake as ordered and record intake and output, noting the color and clarity of every void. | Steady urine flow helps move the stone along the ureter and dilutes the crystals that let stones grow. |
| Strain all urine and send any recovered stone for composition analysis. | Prevention depends on the stone type: calcium oxalate, uric acid and struvite stones each call for different diet and medication plans. |
| Monitor temperature, flank pain pattern and urine output, and report fever with an obstructing stone immediately. | Infection behind an obstruction can progress to urosepsis and usually needs urgent drainage, not just antibiotics. |
Evaluation
- Pain stays at or below the agreed level between and during colic waves
- Urine output stays adequate with no fever or cloudy, foul urine
- Patient explains their fluid target and the diet changes matched to their stone type
Sources & further reading
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Build a care plan free Preview Pro (coming soon)Kidney Stones care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Kidney Stones?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Acute pain related to ureteral spasm and passage of a stone through the urinary tract; Risk for infection related to urinary stasis behind an obstructing stone. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Kidney Stones?
Key interventions: Give analgesia as prescribed and reassess pain at peak effect, scheduling doses ahead of predictable colic waves rather than chasing them.; Encourage fluid intake as ordered and record intake and output, noting the color and clarity of every void.; Strain all urine and send any recovered stone for composition analysis., 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.