The Nursing Process

Assessing:

Collecting Data:

- Subjective Data (symptoms), Objective Data (signs)- Primary source is the client- Secondary source is family or anyone else that is not the client- Collect data by observing which uses your senses or through an interview

o Interview is planned communication with a purposeo Directive interview - Nurse directs interview, client responds to questions

and has limited chances to discuss concerns.o Nondirective interview – rapport-building where the client is in control of

the purpose, subject, and pace.o Questions :

Open-ended – invites client to discover and explore, elaborate, clarify, or illustrate their thoughts or feelings. “How have you been feeling lately?”

Closed-ended – used in directive interviewing, and are questions that require a yes or no answer.

Neutral question – a question that the client can answer without direction. “Why do you think you had the operation?”

Leading question – directs the clients answer. “You’re stressed about surgery tomorrow, aren’t you?”

Organizing Data:

- Using a written or computerized format that organizes the assessment data. - Most schools of nursing and health cause agencies have developed their own

structured assessment format. - Frameworks:

o Gordon – 11 functional health patternso Orem – 8 universal self-care requisites of humanso Roy’s adaptation modelo Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Validating Data:

- Double checking data to ensure that the assessment info is correct, and to ensure that the subjective and objective data agree, as well as to obtain additional info that may have been over looked.

- Cues vs. Inferences:o Cues – subjective or objective data that can be directly observed by the

nurse, either what the client says or what the nurse can see. o Inferences – nurses interpretations or conclusions based on the cues. (A

nurse observes the cues that an incision is red, hot, and swollen; the nurse makes the inference that the incision is infected.)

- You don’t have to check all data (like birth dates, height, weight and most lab studies)

Documenting Data:

- Data is recorded in a factual manner and not interpreted by the nurse. o The nurse records the client’s breakfast intake (objective) as “coffee 240 mL,

1 egg, and 1 slice of toast”

Diagnoses:

- Diagnostic Labels o Describes the client’s health problem or response for which nursing therapy

is given. o Qualifiers – additional info

Deficient, Impaired, Decreased, Ineffective, Compromised.o Etiology – Related factors and risk factors. o Example of Label :

Activity Intolerance related to Generalized weakness- Defining characteristics – clusters of s/s that indicate the presence of a particular

diagnostic label. o Actual nursing diagnoses – signs and symptoms o Risk nursing diagnoses – no-subjective or objective signs are present.

- Differentiating Nursing Diagnoses from Medical Diagnoseso A client’s medical diagnosis remains the same for as long as the disease

process is present, but nursing diagnoses change as the client’s responses change.

o Independent function – areas of health care that are unique to nursing and separate and distinct from medical management.

o Dependent function- Nurses are obligated to carry out physician-prescribed therapies and treatments.

- Differentiating Nursing Diagnoses from Collaborative Problems

o Collaborative – monitoring the client’s condition and preventing development of the potential complication and using physician-prescribed interventions.

o Nursing Diagnoses – involve the human response, which vary from one person to the next.

More individualized.

Analyzing Data:

- Compare data against standardso Growth and development patterns, normal vital signs, and lab values.

- Clustering Cueso The process of grouping cues to determine the relatedness of facts and see

if there are any patterns.- Identify Gaps and inconsistencies in data

o Conflicting data Client tells you that they haven’t been to the doctor in 15 years, but

then says that they see their doctor every year for a physical.

Indentifying Health Problems, Risks, and Strengths:

- Determining Problems and Riskso Client has no appetite and has not eaten today

Problem/Risk is Imbalanced Nutrition: Less than Body Requirements- Determine Strengths

o Anything that is at the client’s advantage The client may be physically fit and there for may recover faster.

Formulating Diagnostic Statements:

- Two-part Statement PEo Problem(P) Related to Etiology(E)

- Three-part Statement PESo Problem(P) Related to Etiology(E) as manifested by Signs and symptoms(S).

- One-Part Statemento Nursing intervention can be derived from the label and doesn’t need a

etiology. Health-Seeking Behaviors ( Low-Fat Diet)

Avoiding Errors in Diagnostic Reasoning

- Verify, build a good knowledge base and acquire clinical experience, know what is normal, consult resources, base diagnoses on patterns- that is, on behavior over time- rather than on an isolated incident, and improve critical thinking skills.

Planning:

- Nursing intervention: any treatment based upon clinical judgment and knowledge, that a nurse performs to enhance patient outcomes

- Planning :o Initial Planning

Done asap Using client’s body language as well as intuitive kinds of

information.o Ongoing Planning:

Done by all nurses who work with the client. Determine whether the client’s health status has changed Set priorities for the client’s care during the shift Decide which problems to focus on during the shift Coordinate the nurse’s activities so that more than one

problem can be addressed at each client contacto Discharge Planning:

Process or anticipating and planning for needs after discharge, is a crucial part of comprehensive health case and should be addressed in each client’s care plan.

- Informal Nursing care plano Strategy for action that exists in the nurse’s mind.

- Formal Nursing care plano Written or computerized guide for organizing information

- Standardized care plano Formal plan that specifies the nursing care for groups of clients with

common needs.o Not for individuals o Preprinted guides for the nursing care of a client who has a need that arises

frequently in the agency.o Problem -> Goals/desired outcomes -> Nursing interventions -> Evaluation

Protocols – preprinted to indicate the actions commonly required for a particular group of clients.

Ex. An agency may have a protocol for admitting a client to the intensive care unit.

Policies/procedures – are developed to govern the handling of frequently occurring situations.

Ex. How many visitors are allowed in Standing orders – are written document about policies, rules,

regulations, or orders regarding client care. They also give nurses the authority to carry out specific actions under circumstances, often when a physician is not immediately available.

- Individualized care plano Is tailored to meet the unique needs of a specific client.

- When nurses use the client’s nursing diagnoses to develop goals and nursing interventions, the result is a holistic, individualized plan of case that will meet the client’s unique needs.

- During planning phase, the nurse must decide which of the client’s problems need individualized plans and which problems can be addressed by standardized plans and routine care, and write unique desired outcomes and nursing interventions for client problems that require nursing attention beyond preplanned, routine care.

- Formats for nursing care planso Student – have a rationale column o Computerized - visual tool

- Multidisciplinary (collaborative) Care Plans – is a standardized plan that outlines the care required for clients with common, predictable-usually medical-conditions.

- Guidelines for writing a care plano Date and sign the plano Use category headings

“Nursing Diagnoses” “Goals/Desired Outcomes”o Use standardized medical or English symbols and key words rather that

complete sentences to communicate your ideas.o Be specific

When it comes to timeo Refer to procedure books or other sources of info rather than including all

steps on somethingo Tailor plan to the client

Ask when the best time is for the client to do interventions o Ensure that the plan incorporates preventive and health maintenance

aspects as well as restorative ones.o Ensure that the plan contains interventions for ongoing assessment of the

client.o Include collaborative and coordination activities in the plano Include plans for the client’s discharge and home care needs

Setting Priorities

-establishing a preferential sequence for addressing nursing diagnoses and interventions.

o Clients health values and beliefso Clients priorities o Resources available to the nurse and cliento Urgency of the health problem

o Medical treatment plan

Establishing Client Goals/Desired Outcomes

o What you want to see happeno Include the client in this parto Goal must be broado Desired outcome must be specifico Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)

Taxonomy that describes the client outcomes.o Goals and outcomes provide direction for planning interventions, they serve

as a criteria for evaluating client progress, enable client and nurse to determine when the problem has been resolved, and help motivate the client and nurse by providing a sense of achievement.

o Short-term and long-term goals should be used

Selecting Nursing Interventions and Activities

o Independent interventions Activities that the nurse is licensed to initiate on the basis of their

knowledge and skillso Dependent interventions

Activities carried out under the physicians’ orders or supervision, or according to specific routines.

o Collaborative interventions Actions carried out by nurses and other health care providers

o Consider the consequences of each interventiono Makes sure that the intervention is safe and appropriate for the client’s age,

health, and conditiono Interventions must be congruent with the client’s values and beliefs.

Implementing :

- Skills:o Cognitive

Intellectual skills including problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, and creativity

o Interpersonal Required in all nursing Verbal and nonverbal, people use when interacting directly with

each othero Technical

Hands on skills

Using equipment, giving injections, bandaging, moving, lifting, and repositioning clients.

Reassessing the Client

Determining the Nurse’s Need for Assistance

Implementing the Nursing Intervention

Base intervention on scientific knowledge, nursing research, and professional standards of care

Understand the intervention Adapt to client Use safe care Teach Be holistic Respect dignity or the client Encourage clients to participate

o Even though you delegate care to someone else, you are responsible for making sure that the task was done right and you are responsible for anything that goes wrong.

Document everything

Evaluating:

- Evaluation is continuous- Evaluating and assessing phase overlap- The desired outcomes are related to the collection of data- Collecting Data

o Objectiveo Subjective

- Comparing Data with Outcomeso Goal Meto Goal partially met – what changes need to be made?o Goal was not met – what changes need to be made?

After goal was met, writes an evaluative statement Consists of two parts

o Conclusion o Supporting data

“Goal Met: Oral intake 300Ml more than output skin turgor resilient mucous membrane moist

- Relating Nursing Activities to Outcomes

o Make sure that it is what you are doing that is bring any change to the cliento Ask them if they are doing anything extra

- Drawing Conclusions about problem Statuso Have actual or potential problems been resolvedo Preventiono Actual problem still exists even though some goals were met

- If the goals have been partially met or when goals have not been met, 2 things may be drawn

o Care plan needs to be revisedo Care plan doesn’t need to be revised, because the client merely needs more

time to achieve the goals.- Continuing, Modifying, and Terminating the Nursing Care Plan

o After drawing conclusions about the statue of the client’s problem, the nurse modifies the care plan as indicated.

Discontinue, or “goal met” with the date- Evaluating the Quality of Nursing Care

o Quality-assurance (QA) Program An ongoing systematic process designed to evaluate and promote

excellence in the health care provided to clients. Structure evaluation – focuses on the setting in which care

is given. It answers this question: “what effect does the setting have on the quality of care.”

Process Evaluation – Focuses on hoe the care was given. It answers the question, “Is the care relevant to the client’s needs? Is the care appropriate, complete, and timely?”

Outcome Evaluation – focuses on demonstrable changes in the client’s health status as result of nursing care.

o Quality Improvement Evaluating and improving the quality of health care based on

internal assessment by health care providers and increasing awareness by the public that medical errors are not uncommon and can be lethal.

Sentinel Event – is an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury.

Root cause analysis – process for indentifying the factors that bring about deviations in practices that lead to the event.

Quality improvement (QI) – focuses on client care rather than organizational structures, focuses on process rather than individuals, and uses a systematic approach with the intention of improving the quality of care rather than ensuring the quality of care.

- Nursing Audito To examine or review recordso Retrospective Audit – is the evaluation of a client’s health record after

discharge from as agency.o Concurrent audit – is the evaluation of a client’s health care while the client

is still receiving care from the agency.o Peer review – nurses reviewing other nurses

Individual peer review – focuses on the performance of an individual nurse

Nursing audits (peer review) – evaluation the nursing care through review of the records.

Depends on accurate documentation