Implementation of individualized nursing care plans among antenatal mothers with anemia in a tertiary care hospital: a case series

Abstract

Anemia during pregnancy remains one of the most common nutritional disorders affecting maternal and fetal health, particularly in developing countries. Nurses play an important role in identifying maternal problems, providing health education, improving dietary practices, and promoting adherence to iron supplementation. This case series describes the nursing management of ten antenatal mothers diagnosed with anemia (hemoglobin <11 g/dl) who were admitted to the antenatal ward of KMCH Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, during February and March 2026. Each mother underwent a comprehensive nursing assessment, and individualized nursing care plans were developed based on the identified nursing problems. The most common symptoms were fatigue (80%), generalized weakness (60%), breathlessness (50%), headache (50%), and poor appetite (50%). Imbalanced nutrition (90%), fatigue (80%), deficient knowledge regarding anemia management (80%), and activity intolerance (60%) were the major nursing problems identified. Nursing interventions included nutritional counselling, reinforcement of iron-folic acid supplementation, dietary advice to improve iron absorption, monitoring of maternal condition, and health education. Following implementation of the nursing care plans, seven mothers showed improvement in symptoms, dietary practices, and adherence to iron therapy, while three mothers showed partial improvement and required continued counselling and follow-up. This case series highlights the importance of individualized nursing care in improving maternal understanding, treatment adherence, and early management of anemia during pregnancy.