[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Medical–surgical nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/med-surg/) › Nursing care in anaemia: fatigue, pacing activity, iron teaching and transfusion # Nursing care in anaemia: fatigue, pacing activity, iron teaching and transfusion - Safe practice The nurse watches how anaemia affects breathing, heart rate and safety, paces activity, and teaches how to take iron and eat for it. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Watch for fatigue, pallor, breathlessness with little effort or at rest, a fast heart rate and dizziness on standing. - Plan activity as tolerated and allow rest when breathlessness, a fast pulse or dizziness appear. - Dizziness on standing raises the risk of falls: have the person get up in stages and with help. - Iron is absorbed best on an empty stomach, or with a little food if it upsets the stomach; vitamin C helps; milk, calcium, antacids and caffeine get in the way. - Black stools are expected with iron; tarry stools, red streaks or abdominal pain must be reported. ## What it is Anaemia lowers the oxygen the blood can carry, so the person tires easily, looks pale, gets breathless with effort and may feel dizzy on standing. Nursing care is about measuring how much the anaemia limits the person, spacing activities with rest, preventing falls when standing up, teaching how to take iron and which foods help, and watching for signs of bleeding or of the heart struggling. Transfusion, when ordered, follows the blood-transfusion page; the causes of anaemia are on the linked condition pages. ## What it requires - A baseline of vital signs, breathing with activity and how far the person can walk. - The haemoglobin results and the trend the team is following. - A fall-risk assessment that takes dizziness into account. - Teaching on iron, food sources and medicine interactions, when iron is ordered. - The transfusion procedure, if transfusion is ordered. ## How it is applied (and why) - Measure heart rate, breathing, saturation and blood pressure at rest and after activity — the response to effort shows how much the anaemia limits the person. - Increase activity as tolerated and stop to rest if breathlessness, a fast pulse or dizziness appear — anaemia makes people tire and get breathless with effort. - Have the person sit on the edge of the bed before standing and walk with help at first — dizziness on standing causes falls. - Look for bleeding: stool colour, urine, gums, menstrual loss and bruising — unusual bleeding must be reported. - Teach how to take iron as ordered: empty stomach if tolerated, with vitamin C, apart from milk, calcium, antacids and caffeine — this improves absorption. - Warn that iron darkens stools and can cause constipation, and plan fluids and fibre — knowing what is expected improves adherence. - Advise drinking liquid iron through a straw — liquid iron can stain the teeth. - Explain iron-rich foods: red meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, dark leafy greens and fortified cereals, with vitamin C — they support treatment. - Teach that iron must be kept away from children — an overdose of iron is dangerous for a child. ## In nursing practice - Report breathlessness at rest, symptoms that keep getting worse, or unusual bleeding. - Report tarry stools, red blood in stools, vomiting blood or heavy menstrual bleeding. - Iron can reduce the effect of some antibiotics and other medicines; check timing with the pharmacist or the team. - Severe anaemia can lower oxygen to the heart and lead to heart failure; watch for worsening breathlessness. - Ask about cravings for ice or non-food items, a sore tongue and brittle nails, and record them. ## Common mistakes - Letting a dizzy anaemic patient get up and walk to the bathroom alone. - Pushing activity on even when the person is breathless or dizzy. - Teaching to take iron with milk or an antacid. - Not warning that iron darkens the stools, so the person stops taking it out of fear. - Dismissing tarry stools as an iron side effect without reporting them. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Why does an anaemic patient need help to stand up? Because anaemia can cause dizziness on standing, which raises the risk of falls. ## What improves and what reduces the absorption of oral iron? An empty stomach and vitamin C improve it; milk, calcium, antacids, high-fibre foods and caffeine taken at the same time reduce it. ## Which stool change with iron should be reported? Tarry stools or red streaks, or abdominal pain; plain black stools are an expected effect of iron. [Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/nursing-care-in-anaemia-fatigue-pacing-activity-iron-teaching-and-transfusion/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Anemia physiology and compensation](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/anemia-physiology-and-compensation/) - [Anemia syndrome](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/anemia-syndrome/) ## Connections ## Related 3 - [Blood transfusion: bedside checks, monitoring and reactions](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/blood-transfusion-bedside-checks-monitoring-and-reactions/) - [Preventing falls: risk assessment and measures](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/preventing-falls-risk-assessment-and-measures/) - [Side effects of cancer treatment: nausea, mucositis, hair loss, fatigue and appetite](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/side-effects-of-cancer-treatment-nausea-mucositis-hair-loss-fatigue-and-appetite/) ## Related conditions 4 - [Iron deficiency anaemia](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/) - [Anaemia of chronic disease (anaemia of inflammation)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/anaemia-of-chronic-disease/) - [Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/autoimmune-haemolytic-anaemia/) - [Aplastic anaemia](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/aplastic-anaemia/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Anemia: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000560.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2026); [Taking iron supplements: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007478.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2026); [Iron in diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002422.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2026). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/nursing-care-in-anaemia-fatigue-pacing-activity-iron-teaching-and-transfusion/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/nursing-care-in-anaemia-fatigue-pacing-activity-iron-teaching-and-transfusion/