Presents about 160 care plans that focus on individualized care for clients across the lifespan with an emphasis on evidence-based practice. Provides guidelines that cover total patient needs--physical, cultural, sexual, nutritional, and psychosocial. Offers a client assessment database for each medical condition for quick review and retrieval of information. Presents diagnoses by priority.Applies the body system approach to care planning. Contains comprehensive rationales for every intervention. Covers complementary therapies. Shows what to expect in the hospital and community-based settings. Explains how to document for government regulations and third-party payers. Identifies discharge plan considerations.Presents diagnostic studies with explanations of the reason for the test and what the results mean. Begins each chapter with a glossary.Includes care plans that address acutely ill patients.Provides an Index of Nursing Diagnoses with page numbers.