The Nursing Process

The nursing process is a framework for nursing action consisting of problem-solving steps that help members of the health care team provide effective patient care. It is both a specific and orderly plan used to identify patient problems, develop and implement a plan of action, and then evaluate the results of nursing activities, including the administration of drug . 

The five phases of the process are used not only in nursing, but also in daily life. For example, when buying a computer one may first think about whether it is really needed, shop in several different stores to find out more about computers, and then determine what each store lias to offer (assessment). At this point, one decides exactly what computer to buy and how to pay for the computer (planning) then the computer is purchased (implementation). After purchase and use, the computer is evaluated (evaluation). 

Assessment involves collecting objective and subjective data. Objective data are facts obtained by means of a physical assessment or physical examination. Subjective data are facts supplied by the patient or the patient s family. 

Assessments are both initial and ongoing. An initial assessment is made based on objective and subjective data collected when the patient is first seen in a hospital, outpatient clinic, health care provider s office, or other type of health care facility. The initial assessment usually is more thorough and provides a database (sometimes called baseline) from which later data can be compared and decisions made The initial assessment provides information that is analyzed to identify 

FIGURE 4-1. The nursing process as it relates to administration of medication. 

Using the nursing proems require practice, experience, and a constant updating of knowledge. The nursing process is used in this text only as it applies to drug administration. It is not within the scope of this textbook to list all of the assessments, plans, implementations, and evaluations for the medical di iosis that requires the administration of a specific drug. 

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Discuss how the nursing process may be used in daily life, as well as when administering drugs. 

Explain how the nursing process can be used to develop a teaching plan. 

Each of these groups will be discussed individually followed by information concerning the use of the nursing process for the group as a whole See the... 

Use the nursing process when administering an anti emetic or antivertigo drug. 

As a disaster mental health relief worker, I followed the nursing process of observation, assessment, intervention, and outcome evaluation. Initially, an informal history was taken, with inquiry about a client s perceived needs, their eating and sleeping patterns, their support network, and their short-term priorities. Sometimes information about past traumas emerged. I always explored a client s repertoire of past and present coping skills. This was one more way to gauge mental health and to help determine their needs. Where appropriate, medical and psychiatric histories were explored with clients in greater detail. 

The nursing process is a method for making decisions on how to diagnose and treat a patient. There are five steps in the nursing process. These are ... 

Evaluation Determines if the intervention worked. If the intervention is not successful, the nursing process begins again with an assessment, diagnoses, and a revised care plan. 

What step of the nursing process executes the treatment plan ... 

The steps in the nursing process are assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation. 

Altliough the nursing process can be described in various ways, it generally consists of five pliases assessment, nursing di iosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Each part is applicable, with modification, to the administration of medications. Figure 4-1 relates the nursing process to administration of medications. 

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