Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Nursing Diagnosis & Care Plan

Atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, is one of the most common types of irregular heartbeats. Because atrial fibrillation is a common diagnosis, all healthcare workers should be comfortable writing and understanding a nursing care plan for it. Nurses develop care plans to identify long-term and short-term goals for the patient.

---

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation, commonly referred to as AFib, is an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. Five million Americans are estimated to be living with AFib, and more than 12 million people are projected to have it by 2030.¹

Atrial Fibrillation Diagnosis

Atrial fibrillation is diagnosed based on a variety of factors, including medical and familial history, tests, and physical assessment. However, the main diagnostic criterion is the results of an EKG. An EKG measures the heart’s electrical activity.²

---

Atrial Fibrillation Causes and Risk Factors

• Age (65+)
• Familial history
• Ethnicity
• Genetics
• Smoking
• Illicit drug use
• Obesity
• Sleep apnea
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Prior surgery 
• Alcohol abuse³ 

---

Atrial Fibrillation Signs and Symptoms

• Chest pain
• Irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Trouble breathing
• Fainting
• Lightheadedness
• Abdominal pain
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Exercise intolerance
• Sweating
• Heart palpitations³

---

Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Options

Treatment for atrial fibrillation depends on a variety of factors, including the severity of the disease and the underlying causes. Main options include lifestyle changes, medication management, and surgery.

Lifestyle Changes

• Quit smoking
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Become physically active
• Manage stress
• Maintain a healthy diet
• Avoid alcohol

Medication Management

• Beta blocker
• Blood thinner
• Calcium channel blockers

Procedure/Surgery

• Catheter ablation
• Cardioversion
• Pacemaker
• Maze procedure⁴

---

How to Develop an Atrial Fibrillation Nursing Care Plan

When developing an atrial fibrillation nursing care plan, the first step is determining a patient’s goals. Although you’ll generate parts of the nursing care plan on your own, the nursing diagnosis must be on the NANDA-I-approved nursing diagnosis list.

According to the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA),  a nursing diagnosis is “a clinical judgment about the human response to health conditions/life processes, or a vulnerability for that response, by an individual, family, group, or community.”

A nursing diagnosis is rooted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid and helps prioritize treatments. Based on the nursing diagnosis, you’ll set goals to resolve your patient’s problems through nursing interventions determined in the next step.

NANDA-I separates nursing diagnoses into four categories:

• Problem-focused: A diagnosis based on patient problems present during a nursing assessment.
• Risk: A diagnosis based on risk factors that requires intervention from a nurse or healthcare team before a real problem develops.
• Health promotion: A diagnosis that intends to improve the overall well-being of an individual, family, or community.
• Syndrome: Based on a cluster of nursing diagnoses that occur in a pattern or can all be addressed through the same or similar nursing interventions.

Determining the most important goals for the patient and the corresponding nursing diagnosis provides the basis to create an atrial fibrillation care plan that can best support the patient while reaching those goals.

---

Atrial Fibrillation Nursing Care Plan Components

A nursing care plan has several key components, including: 

• Nursing Diagnosis
• Expected outcome
• Nursing interventions and rationales
• Evaluation

Each of the five main components is essential to the overall nursing process and care plan. A properly written care plan must include these sections. Otherwise, it won’t make sense.

• Nursing diagnosis: A clinical judgment that helps nurses determine the plan of care for their patients
• Expected outcome: The measurable action for a patient to be achieved in a specific time frame. 
• Nursing interventions and rationales: Actions to be taken to achieve expected outcomes and reasoning behind them.
• Evaluation: Determines the effectiveness of the nursing interventions and determines if expected outcomes are met within the time set.

---

Atrial Fibrillation Nursing Care Plan Examples

All nursing diagnoses must be NANDA-I approved and have corresponding definitions to help guide nurses in writing a nursing care plan.

Atrial fibrillation itself isn’t a NANDA diagnosis, and individuals who are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation will have other nursing diagnoses and care plans that incorporate the diagnosis. 

---

Other Nursing Care Plans

• Hypertension Nursing Care Plan
• Acute Pain Nursing Care Plan
• Infection Nursing Care Plan
• Constipation Nursing Care Plan
• Decreased Cardiac Output Nursing Care Plan
• COPD Nursing Care Plan
• Pneumonia Nursing Care Plan
• Diabetes Mellitus Nursing Care Plan
• Fluid Volume Deficit Nursing Care Plan
• Sepsis Nursing Care Plan
• Impaired Physical Mobility Nursing Care Plan
• Risk for Falls Nursing Care Plan
• Heart Failure Nursing Care Plan

References

_{1  “What is Atrial Fibrillation?” 2025. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/atrial-fibrillation/what-is-atrial-fibrillation-afib-or-af.}

_{2 Ball, Jane W., Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination: An Interprofessional Approach. 9 ed., Elsevier, 2019.}

_{3 “Atrial fibrillation - Symptoms and causes.” 2024. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/symptoms-causes/syc-20350624.}

_{4  “Atrial Fibrillation - Treatment | NHLBI, NIH.” 2022. Nhlbi.nih.gov. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/atrial-fibrillation/treatment.}

_{5 Herdman, T. H., Shigemi Kamitsuru, and Camila Lopes, eds. 2024. NANDA-I International Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions & Classification, 2024-2026. 13th ed. N.p.: Thieme Medical Publishers.}

_{6 McCance, Kathryn L., Sue E. Huether, Valentina L. Brashers, and Neal S. Rote, eds. 2019. Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. 8th ed. N.p.: Elsevier.}

Nursing Care Plan