Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHypothyroidism SymptomsNursing AssessmentDiagnosisInterventionsCare PlanConsiderationsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
Nursing Assessment
Diagnosis
Interventions
Care Plan
Considerations
Frequently Asked Questions
Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, occurs when thethyroid glanddoes not produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s needs.
Levothyroxine, a synthetic version of thyroid hormone, is a hormone replacement therapy most often prescribed to treat hypothyroidism.Because hypothyroidism is a chronic disease, a multidisciplinary approach is required to provide lifelong care and treatment. Nurses play a vital role in the care of people with hypothyroidism.
Read on to learn more about hypothyroidism and nursing care.
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Whenthyroid hormone levelsare low, body processes begin to slow down. Becausehypothyroidism symptomsare often vague, particularly in the earliest stages of the disease, they may initially be overlooked or attributed to something else, such as stress or aging.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe with a significant impact on quality of life. The most common symptoms of hypothyroidism include:
Hypothyroidism Risk FactorsFactors that may increase therisk of developing hypothyroidisminclude:Being femaleBeing of an older ageFamily history ofHashimoto’s thyroiditisor anotherthyroid diseasePersonal history of anautoimmune diseaseSurgical removal of all or part of thethyroid glandHistory of radiation therapy to the neck or upper chestTreated with certain medications, such aslithiumorchemotherapydrugsIodine deficiencyor consumption of excess iodine
Hypothyroidism Risk Factors
Factors that may increase therisk of developing hypothyroidisminclude:Being femaleBeing of an older ageFamily history ofHashimoto’s thyroiditisor anotherthyroid diseasePersonal history of anautoimmune diseaseSurgical removal of all or part of thethyroid glandHistory of radiation therapy to the neck or upper chestTreated with certain medications, such aslithiumorchemotherapydrugsIodine deficiencyor consumption of excess iodine
Factors that may increase therisk of developing hypothyroidisminclude:
Hypothyroidism Facts and Statistics: What You Need to Know
Nursing Assessment for People With Hypothyroidism
A nursing assessment is an essential step in getting appropriate care for hypothyroidism. The information nurses gather during the evaluation—including physical, psychological, spiritual, social, and lifestyle factors specific to each person—can help nurses provide individualized, person-centered care.
A nursing assessment for people with hypothyroidism includes:
This assessment helps identify a person’s current and future needs. The information gathered is evaluated to help provide an accuratediagnosisand create a personalized treatment plan.
Nursing Diagnosis for Hypothyroidism
A nursing diagnosis is a nurse’s clinical judgment of hypothyroidism’s impact on a person’s life.
It’s important to distinguish a nursing diagnosis from a medical diagnosis. A physician or advanced healthcare practitioner makes a medical diagnosis. Diagnostic tests, including blood tests that measure thyroid hormone levels, focus on the medical aspects of hypothyroidism to make a diagnosis.
A nursing diagnosis, however, focuses on the physical, mental, spiritual, or psychosocial aspects of hypothyroidism; it examines the overall holistic care of a person with hypothyroidism based on their response to the condition and how it affects their day-to-day life. A nursing diagnosis generally has three elements:
Examples of a nursing diagnosis for a person with hypothyroidism include:
Other nursing diagnoses for hypothyroidism may include:
Nursing Interventions for Hypothyroidism
Nursing interventions are actions a nurse takes to improve someone’s health outcomes.Research shows that nursing interventions can effectively increase thyroid disease awareness, boost medication compliance, and improve the long-term outcomes of people with thyroid disease.
Nursing interventions for patients with hypothyroidism may include:
Nursing Care Plan for Hypothyroidism
Nursing care plans contain information about a person’s diagnosis, treatment goals, nursing interventions, and potential outcomes.These plans help nurses keep all relevant information in one place so every care team member can access it as needed.
The nursing care plan aims to provide accessible, person-centered care and should include the following:
Sample Nursing Care Plan for Hypothyroidism
Nursing interventions:Assess the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living.
Nursing Considerations
Nursing considerations, also known as nursing implications, are considerations and actions that are taken into account as they develop a care plan and provide care. Nursing considerations for hypothyroidism include:
Complications of Untreated HypothyroidismUntreated hypothyroidism may lead tohigh cholesteroland cardiovascular disease. In rare cases, severe untreated hypothyroidism may lead tomyxedema coma, a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical treatment.
Complications of Untreated Hypothyroidism
Untreated hypothyroidism may lead tohigh cholesteroland cardiovascular disease. In rare cases, severe untreated hypothyroidism may lead tomyxedema coma, a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical treatment.
Summary
Hypothyroidism is a common condition requiring a multidisciplinary approach to care and lifelong treatment for most people. A nursing care plan focuses on the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of the person with hypothyroidism.
Person-centered plans are developed to focus on specific symptoms a person with hypothyroidism is experiencing, such as fatigue or weight gain, and provide nursing interventions to improve their overall health and well-being.
A Word From Verywell
Living with hypothyroidism may feel overwhelming or exhausting from time to time. If you need support to manage symptoms or improve your quality of life, a nurse and a nursing care plan may help you deal with the difficulties of living with a chronic disease that impacts so many areas of your life.
Frequently Asked QuestionsA physical examination, including palpating the thyroid to look for signs of an enlarged thyroid, the presence of nodules, and the texture/firmness of the thyroid, is performed on a person with hypothyroidism. Healthcare providers should also closely monitor the person’s body weight and vital signs (e.g., blood pressure and heart rate).Blood tests that measure thyroid hormone levels are the best way to diagnose hypothyroidism accurately. These includethyroxine (T4),triiodothyronine (T3), serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), andthyroid antibody tests.The four types of nursing diagnosis include:Problem-focused:Problem observed during a nursing assessmentRisk:Risk factors that may require nursing interventions before a real problem developsHealth promotion:Aims to improve the overall well-being of the personSyndrome:A group of nursing diagnoses that occur in a pattern or can be addressed through the same nursing interventions.
A physical examination, including palpating the thyroid to look for signs of an enlarged thyroid, the presence of nodules, and the texture/firmness of the thyroid, is performed on a person with hypothyroidism. Healthcare providers should also closely monitor the person’s body weight and vital signs (e.g., blood pressure and heart rate).
Blood tests that measure thyroid hormone levels are the best way to diagnose hypothyroidism accurately. These includethyroxine (T4),triiodothyronine (T3), serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), andthyroid antibody tests.
The four types of nursing diagnosis include:Problem-focused:Problem observed during a nursing assessmentRisk:Risk factors that may require nursing interventions before a real problem developsHealth promotion:Aims to improve the overall well-being of the personSyndrome:A group of nursing diagnoses that occur in a pattern or can be addressed through the same nursing interventions.
The four types of nursing diagnosis include:
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Thyroid Association.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Merck Manual Professional Version.Hypothyroidism.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).American Nurses Association.The nursing process.Patil N, Rehman A, Jialal I, et al.Hypothyroidism (nursing). In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.NurseJournal.Nursing diagnosis guide.Nurse.org.The ultimate guide to nursing diagnosis in 2022.Nurseslabs.Hypothyroidism.The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.Representing nursing interventions.Miaoli Z, Qingran L, Jingjie S, et al.Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on thyroid stimulating hormone suppression for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.American Journal of Nursing Science. 2019;8(1):32. doi:10.11648/j.ajns.20190801.15NurseJournal.Nursing care plans explained.Nurseslabs.6 hypothyroidism nursing care plans.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, et al.Hypothyroidism and the heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55-59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders.Thyroid tests.Sheehan MT.Biochemical testing of the thyroid: TSH is the best and, oftentimes, only test needed—a review for primary care.Clin Med Res. 2016;14(2):83-92. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1309
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Thyroid Association.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Merck Manual Professional Version.Hypothyroidism.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).American Nurses Association.The nursing process.Patil N, Rehman A, Jialal I, et al.Hypothyroidism (nursing). In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.NurseJournal.Nursing diagnosis guide.Nurse.org.The ultimate guide to nursing diagnosis in 2022.Nurseslabs.Hypothyroidism.The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.Representing nursing interventions.Miaoli Z, Qingran L, Jingjie S, et al.Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on thyroid stimulating hormone suppression for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.American Journal of Nursing Science. 2019;8(1):32. doi:10.11648/j.ajns.20190801.15NurseJournal.Nursing care plans explained.Nurseslabs.6 hypothyroidism nursing care plans.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, et al.Hypothyroidism and the heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55-59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders.Thyroid tests.Sheehan MT.Biochemical testing of the thyroid: TSH is the best and, oftentimes, only test needed—a review for primary care.Clin Med Res. 2016;14(2):83-92. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1309
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Thyroid Association.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).Merck Manual Professional Version.Hypothyroidism.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).American Nurses Association.The nursing process.Patil N, Rehman A, Jialal I, et al.Hypothyroidism (nursing). In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.NurseJournal.Nursing diagnosis guide.Nurse.org.The ultimate guide to nursing diagnosis in 2022.Nurseslabs.Hypothyroidism.The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.Representing nursing interventions.Miaoli Z, Qingran L, Jingjie S, et al.Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on thyroid stimulating hormone suppression for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.American Journal of Nursing Science. 2019;8(1):32. doi:10.11648/j.ajns.20190801.15NurseJournal.Nursing care plans explained.Nurseslabs.6 hypothyroidism nursing care plans.Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, et al.Hypothyroidism and the heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55-59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders.Thyroid tests.Sheehan MT.Biochemical testing of the thyroid: TSH is the best and, oftentimes, only test needed—a review for primary care.Clin Med Res. 2016;14(2):83-92. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1309
American Thyroid Association.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Merck Manual Professional Version.Hypothyroidism.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
American Nurses Association.The nursing process.
Patil N, Rehman A, Jialal I, et al.Hypothyroidism (nursing). In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
NurseJournal.Nursing diagnosis guide.
Nurse.org.The ultimate guide to nursing diagnosis in 2022.
Nurseslabs.Hypothyroidism.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.Representing nursing interventions.
Miaoli Z, Qingran L, Jingjie S, et al.Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on thyroid stimulating hormone suppression for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.American Journal of Nursing Science. 2019;8(1):32. doi:10.11648/j.ajns.20190801.15
NurseJournal.Nursing care plans explained.
Nurseslabs.6 hypothyroidism nursing care plans.
Udovcic M, Pena RH, Patham B, et al.Hypothyroidism and the heart.Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2017;13(2):55-59. doi:10.14797/mdcj-13-2-55
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders.Thyroid tests.
Sheehan MT.Biochemical testing of the thyroid: TSH is the best and, oftentimes, only test needed—a review for primary care.Clin Med Res. 2016;14(2):83-92. doi:10.3121/cmr.2016.1309
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