Fatigue: Nursing Diagnosis & Care Plan
🎓 Educational reference. Match to your patient's actual assessment data and have your instructor review it.
Definition: A persistent, whole-body sense of tiredness and reduced energy for physical or mental tasks that rest does not fully relieve.
Related factors ("related to")
- Reduced oxygen-carrying capacity or anemia
- Chronic illness and increased metabolic demand
- Disrupted sleep or low mood
Defining characteristics ("as evidenced by")
- Verbalized lack of energy or exhaustion
- Difficulty completing usual tasks or reduced performance
- Increased need for rest, listlessness
Sample goals / outcomes
- Patient reports improved energy and participates in desired activities with planned rest periods within the care period.
Nursing interventions
- Assess fatigue severity, pattern, and impact on daily function
- Plan activities with scheduled rest periods and prioritize essential tasks
- Address contributing causes (correct anemia, support sleep, treat mood symptoms) as ordered
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Build a care plan freeFatigue nursing diagnosis: FAQ
What is the Fatigue nursing diagnosis?
A persistent, whole-body sense of tiredness and reduced energy for physical or mental tasks that rest does not fully relieve.
What are the related factors for Fatigue?
Common related factors: Reduced oxygen-carrying capacity or anemia; Chronic illness and increased metabolic demand; Disrupted sleep or low mood. In your care plan, write it as "Fatigue related to [factor] as evidenced by [your patient's data]."
What are nursing interventions for Fatigue?
Key interventions: Assess fatigue severity, pattern, and impact on daily function; Plan activities with scheduled rest periods and prioritize essential tasks; Address contributing causes (correct anemia, support sleep, treat mood symptoms) as ordered, each with a rationale in your plan.
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 in standard clinical language; not medical advice and not affiliated with NANDA-I/NIC/NOC.