Question

1) Define various terms associated with the nursing process and decision making. 2) Discuss ways in which critical thinking is used in nursing 3) Enumerate the steps of the nursing process and explain each. 4) Contrast subjective and objective data. 5) Explain how to conduct a nursing interview. 6) List techniques used to gather data during a physical assessment and describe each. 7) Explain the process for writing a student care plan. 8) Explain safety issues related to the nursing process and decision making.

Answer 1

Ans) 1) Nursing Process:

Decision making framework used by all nurses to determine the needs of their patients and to decide how to care for them.

2) Critical thinking: This is demonstrated in nursing by clinical judgment, which includes ethical, diagnostic, and therapeutic dimensions and research.” Critical thinking in nursing involves applying knowledge and experience to identify patient problems and directing clinical judgments by selecting from alternatives, weighing evidence.

3) Steps of Nursing Process:

Assessment
An RN uses a systematic, dynamic way to collect and analyze data about a client, the first step in delivering nursing care. Assessment includes not only physiological data, but also psychological, sociocultural, spiritual, economic, and life-style factors as well. For example, a nurse’s assessment of a hospitalized patient in pain includes not only the physical causes and manifestations of pain, but the patient’s response—an inability to get out of bed, refusal to eat, withdrawal from family members, anger directed at hospital staff, fear, or request for more pain mediation.

Diagnosis
The nursing diagnosis is the nurse’s clinical judgment about the client’s response to actual or potential health conditions or needs. The diagnosis reflects not only that the patient is in pain, but that the pain has caused other problems such as anxiety, poor nutrition, and conflict within the family, or has the potential to cause complications—for example, respiratory infection is a potential hazard to an immobilized patient. The diagnosis is the basis for the nurse’s care plan.

Outcomes / Planning
Based on the assessment and diagnosis, the nurse sets measurable and achievable short- and long-range goals for this patient that might include moving from bed to chair at least three times per day; maintaining adequate nutrition by eating smaller, more frequent meals; resolving conflict through counseling, or managing pain through adequate medication. Assessment data, diagnosis, and goals are written in the patient’s care plan so that nurses as well as other health professionals caring for the patient have access to it.

Implementation
Nursing care is implemented according to the care plan, so continuity of care for the patient during hospitalization and in preparation for discharge needs to be assured. Care is documented in the patient’s record.

Evaluation
Both the patient’s status and the effectiveness of the nursing care must be continuously evaluated, and the care plan modified as needed.

4) Subjective data: information that is known only to the patient and family members. ID: nausea, pain, anxiety, fear, depression, and discouragement.

Objective data: Things that you can observe through your senses of hearing, sight, smell, and touch. IE: pale, cool, moist skin.