Claude for Nurses: Care Plans, SBAR Handoffs & Free Plugin

Nurses use Claude to turn their own assessment findings into SBAR handoff reports, NANDA-I care plans, structured nursing notes and plain-language patient education, then check every line before it goes near the chart. Claude doesn't assess patients, give orders or make clinical decisions, and it should only see de-identified details; your facility's policy decides whether you can use it at work at all.

Below: one SBAR handoff drafted end to end, the free Nurse plugin and its four commands, five more documents worth handing off, and plain answers on HIPAA, nursing school and care plans.

Worked example: an SBAR handoff before shift change

It's 1830 and you have a patient whose rhythm changed this afternoon. In Claude, type /shift-handoff, pick it from the menu, then paste your notes. The patient is "Patient A", with no name, initials, room or MRN:

SBAR handoff, day to night shift. Patient A, 58F, med-surg.
Situation: new-onset atrial fibrillation seen on telemetry at 1400.
Background: admitted for pneumonia; hx HTN, type 2 diabetes. On IV antibiotics.
Assessment: HR 132 irregular, BP 98/62, reports palpitations and dizziness. SpO2 94% on 2L.
Provider notified 1410; cardiology consult pending; heparin drip ordered, started 1600.
Recommendation: watch HR/BP trend and bleeding; consult note expected tonight; fall precautions.

Claude returns the handoff in SBAR order (shortened here):

SHIFT HANDOFF REPORT (SBAR) — DRAFT FOR NURSE REVIEW
Patient: Patient A | Room/MRN: [Per facility protocol] | Code status: [To be completed]
Allergies: [To be completed]

SITUATION
58-year-old female admitted for pneumonia with new-onset atrial fibrillation identified
on telemetry at 1400. Current status: [Stable / Declining — nurse to confirm].

BACKGROUND
PMH: hypertension, type 2 diabetes. Receiving IV antibiotics for pneumonia.
Key events this shift: 1400 AF on telemetry; 1410 provider notified; 1600 heparin drip started.

ASSESSMENT
HR 132, irregular | BP 98/62 | SpO2 94% on 2L
Patient reports palpitations and dizziness.

RECOMMENDATION
1. Monitor HR and BP trend; escalation parameters: [per provider order — confirm]
2. Heparin drip: rate and next lab per protocol [To be completed]; monitor for bleeding
3. Cardiology consult pending; note expected tonight
4. Fall precautions (dizziness)

What's left for you: fill every [To be completed] field from the chart, confirm the escalation parameters against the actual orders, and give the handoff the way your unit requires, usually verbally at the bedside. Claude only rearranges what you typed; if the draft says something you didn't tell it, delete it.

The free Nurse plugin: four commands

The Nurse plugin is free. Type a command and pick it from the menu; pasting it sends plain text instead of running it.

Command	What it drafts
`/shift-handoff`	An SBAR handoff report for a transition of care
`/care-plan`	A care plan with NANDA-I diagnoses, NIC interventions and NOC outcomes
`/nursing-note`	Clinical documentation with assessment, intervention and evaluation sections
`/patient-education`	Plain-language education materials pitched at the reading level you set

Two skills switch on by themselves when they're relevant: Clinical Nursing and Patient Education.

To install it in the Claude desktop app: Customize → Plugins → Add → Add marketplace → Add from a repository, paste alexclowe/awesome-claude-cowork-plugins, click Sync, then click Add next to Nurse under Discover. Plugins need a paid Claude plan. In Claude Code: run /plugin marketplace add alexclowe/awesome-claude-cowork-plugins, then /plugin install nurse@awesome-claude-cowork-plugins. Full steps are on the plugin page.

Set up a Claude Project for your unit

The key to getting consistently useful output from Claude is using Claude Projects. A Project lets you set custom instructions that persist across every conversation, so you are not re-explaining your clinical setting every time.

Step 1: Create a Nursing Practice Project. In Claude, click "Projects" and create one called something like "My Nursing Practice."

Step 2: Set your custom instructions. In the Project settings, add instructions like:

You are my nursing documentation assistant. Here is my context:

<business-profile>
- Name: [Your Name], [Credentials — RN / BSN / MSN / NP / etc.]
- Setting: [Med-surg / ICU / ER / Home health / Outpatient clinic / etc.]
- Specialty: [Cardiac / Oncology / Pediatrics / Geriatrics / etc.]
- Facility type: [Hospital / Skilled nursing facility / Community health center]
- Documentation system: [Epic / Cerner / Meditech / etc.]
- Preferred care plan framework: [NANDA-I / Facility-specific]
</business-profile>

<rules>
- Never use patient names, initials, MRNs, room numbers, dates of birth, or other identifying details. Refer to patients as "Patient A", "Patient B", and so on.
- All clinical language must be professional and consistent with current nursing terminology.
- Output is always a draft for nurse review. Include: "DRAFT — FOR CLINICAL REVIEW."
- Stay within the registered nurse scope of practice. Do not provide medical diagnoses or prescribe treatments.
</rules>

Step 3: Upload reference documents. Add your facility's care plan templates, documentation guidelines, SBAR templates, or patient education formatting standards to the Project knowledge base. Claude will reference these when generating content.

Step 4: Start every session inside this Project. This ensures Claude always has your context loaded.

Five more nursing documents Claude can draft

1. Care Plans (NANDA Framework)

Developing individualized care plans with NANDA nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventions is essential but repetitive. Claude can build the framework from your assessment findings.

<task>Draft a nursing care plan using NANDA-I framework.</task>

<context>Patient A, 72M, admitted CHF exacerbation. Findings: BLE edema 2+, bilateral crackles, 4 lb weight gain in 3 days, O2 sat 91% on RA, dyspnea on exertion. Reports difficulty understanding low-sodium diet.</context>

<instructions>
- 3 priority NANDA-I nursing diagnoses, prioritized by clinical urgency
- For each: related factors, defining characteristics, outcomes with timeframes, 4-5 interventions with rationales
- Include patient education components; use measurable outcome criteria
</instructions>

<avoid>Medical diagnoses or physician-level orders; any patient identifiers; interventions outside RN scope</avoid>

2. Clinical Notes

Charting accurately and efficiently at the end of a shift is a constant challenge. Claude can structure your observations into clear, complete documentation.

<task>Write a clinical nursing note for a post-operative patient assessment.</task>

<context>Patient B, 58F, POD 1 R total knee arthroplasty. VS: 132/78, HR 76, RR 16, T 98.8, SpO2 97% RA. Pain 5/10, managed with Toradol/PRN oxycodone. Dressing CDI, drain 45mL serosanguinous/8hr, pedal pulses palpable, RLE NVI. Ambulated 50ft with walker and PT.</context>

<instructions>
- Systematic assessment format with pain, mobility, and functional status
- Note patient education provided and plan for remainder of shift
- Concise, objective clinical language
</instructions>

<avoid>Subjective opinions unsupported by assessment data; any patient identifiers</avoid>

3. Shift Handoff Reports (SBAR)

A structured SBAR handoff ensures nothing falls through the cracks during shift change. Claude can organize your observations into a clear, standardized format.

<task>Draft an SBAR shift handoff report for an incoming night nurse.</task>

<context>Patient C, 45M, hospital day 3, acute pancreatitis.</context>

<instructions>
- Situation: NPO, LR 125mL/hr, Dilaudid PCA, lipase 1200 to 680
- Background: Hx alcohol use disorder, prior pancreatitis 2 years ago
- Assessment: Pain 4/10 (was 8/10), tolerating clear liquids since 1400, BS x4, afebrile, UOP adequate
- Recommendation: Monitor PO tolerance overnight, advance diet per protocol, recheck lipase 0600, fall risk with bed alarm
- Include pending labs and PRN meds given this shift
</instructions>

<avoid>Any patient identifiers; information irrelevant to care continuity</avoid>

4. Patient Education Materials

Nurses spend significant time creating or finding appropriate education materials. Claude can draft clear, patient-friendly handouts tailored to specific conditions.

<task>Create a patient education handout on managing type 2 diabetes at home after discharge.</task>

<context>Audience: newly diagnosed T2DM patients. Reading level: 6th-8th grade. Setting: hospital discharge.</context>

<instructions>
- Cover: glucose monitoring basics, medication adherence, dietary guidelines, signs of hypo/hyperglycemia, when to call the doctor
- Include a simple daily checklist; under 500 words
- Warm, encouraging tone; clear headings and short paragraphs
</instructions>

<avoid>Jargon without plain-language explanation; specific med names/doses; content contradicting ADA guidelines</avoid>

5. Insurance and Prior Authorization Documentation

Documenting medical necessity for insurance purposes requires precise clinical language. Claude can structure these narratives efficiently.

<task>Draft a nursing narrative supporting medical necessity for continued SNF placement.</task>

<context>Patient D, 80F. Dx: R hip fracture s/p ORIF, c/b post-op delirium (resolved) and DVT (on anticoagulation). WBAT on R, mod assist transfers, PT 5x/week. Lives alone, single-story home with 3 front steps.</context>

<instructions>
- Document skilled nursing needs: wound assessment, anticoagulation monitoring, fall prevention
- Describe functional limitations preventing safe discharge home
- Include rehab progress and remaining goals; reference ADL assist levels
- Objective, measurable language; under 350 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Any patient identifiers; recovery timeline guarantees; language suggesting no progress</avoid>

Prompting tips for nursing documentation

1. Always specify the clinical setting. "ICU nursing note" produces very different output than "home health visit note." Your clinical environment shapes documentation requirements, terminology, and level of detail.

2. Include the NANDA diagnosis label when requesting care plans. Specifying "Risk for Impaired Skin Integrity" rather than "skin problems" ensures Claude uses proper nursing taxonomy and generates aligned interventions.

3. State the documentation framework explicitly. Asking for "SBAR format" or "NANDA-I care plan" or "focused DAR note" tells Claude exactly how to structure the output. Do not assume it will pick the right format.

4. Specify the scope of practice. Add "Stay within the RN scope of practice" to prompts. This prevents Claude from generating content that crosses into medical diagnosis or prescriptive authority.

5. Request rationales for interventions. Adding "Include evidence-based rationales for each intervention" produces care plans that are more useful for clinical reasoning and student education.

6. Use assessment data, not interpretations. Provide objective findings like "edema 2+ bilateral lower extremities" rather than "patient is fluid overloaded." Let Claude help you connect assessment data to nursing diagnoses properly.

Can Claude write nursing care plans?

Yes, as a draft you finish. Give Claude your assessment findings and it lays out nursing diagnoses in NANDA-I wording, with related factors, measurable outcomes and interventions with rationales. You choose which diagnoses fit the patient in front of you and change anything that doesn't match your assessment, your unit's care plan template or your scope of practice.

Is Claude HIPAA compliant for nurses?

Not on a personal account, and not when you use a plugin. As of October 2026, Anthropic's Privacy Center says it signs a business associate agreement (BAA) for HIPAA-ready services, such as its own API, Claude in Microsoft Foundry, and Enterprise plans where the organization's Primary Owner turns HIPAA on; the Free, Pro and Max consumer plans aren't among them.

Plugins are a separate gap. Anthropic's help center says plugins, skills, connectors and MCP servers stay outside the BAA even on a HIPAA-ready Enterprise plan, so the free Nurse plugin should only ever get de-identified details: no names, initials, MRNs, room numbers, exact dates or anything else that points to a patient. And even with de-identified data, your employer's AI policy comes first. If your hospital hasn't approved a tool, don't use it for patient work.

Sources: Business Associate Agreements for Commercial Customers and Use Claude Code and Cowork on a HIPAA-ready Enterprise plan (both checked October 2026).

Can Claude write SBAR handoff reports?

Yes. Paste your shift notes and the shift-handoff command sorts them into Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation, and marks anything missing (code status, allergies, pending labs) so you can fill it in. It's a prep sheet for your handoff, not a replacement for your unit's handoff process or the conversation with the oncoming nurse.

Can nursing students use Claude?

Yes, for studying, as long as your program allows it. Students use Claude to quiz themselves on pathophysiology, practice building care plans from made-up cases, and get feedback on how they've written a rationale. Check your school's academic-integrity policy before you use it on graded work, and never put details from a clinical placement into it, even with names removed, unless your program and the facility have said that's fine.

Can Claude give clinical advice or medication doses?

No, and you shouldn't use it that way. Claude can explain concepts and format documentation, but it can be wrong and it doesn't know your patient. Doses, orders and clinical decisions come from the provider's orders, your facility's protocols and references, and your own nursing judgment.

Is Claude or ChatGPT better for nurses?

Both can draft a note or a teaching sheet from your input. What matters more is which tool your employer has approved, and whether you want ready-made commands for SBAR, care plans and patient education, which is what the Nurse plugin adds on the Claude side.

We compare them in more detail in ChatGPT vs Claude for nurses.