Professional nursing care of the patient with increased intracranial pressure: planned or 'hit and miss'?

Consistent and conscientious nursing care and assessments are known to have significant impact on the morbidity and mortality associated with increased intracranial pressure. These authors reviewed 100 charts to assess the documentation of nursing care for patients with actual or potential increased intracranial pressure. When their audit revealed fragmented and inconsistent documentation, they published and inserviced general guidelines (a standard care plan) utilizing nursing diagnoses. The audit criteria and subsequent standard care plan are provided in this article. Questions which were raised during the endeavor are presented as suggested areas for future nursing research.