Which nursing action is most appropriate for assessing a patients learning needs
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Assessing patients is part of a nurse’s professional practice to keep patient’s safe and improve a patient’s health outcomes. The Nursing Act, 1991 includes the accountability of assessing patients in the nursing scope of practice statement. Nursing scope of practice statement
What is a nursing assessment?A nursing assessment is a process where a nurse gathers, sorts and analyzes a patient’s health information using evidence informed tools to learn more about a patient’s overall health, symptoms and concerns. This includes considering the patient’s biological, social, psychological, cultural and spiritual values and beliefs.[1] A nurse then documents and interprets this information to inform the patient’s care plan and ongoing decision-making about the patient’s health status, which may include identifying urgent, emergent and or life-threatening conditions. Assessments are critical to patient safety because lack of nursing assessments can pose a patient safety risk. Timely and appropriate holistic nursing assessment is a fundamental skill that all nurses should demonstrate in any area of nursing practice. What is included in a nursing assessment?During a nursing assessment the nurse collect both subjective and objective information using evidence informed tools to assess the patient as a whole. A nursing assessment may include, but is not limited to the following:
Nurses use critical thinking when analyzing the findings of their assessments to inform decisions about a patient’s plan of care. Recognizing normal and abnormal patient physiology helps nurses to prioritize interventions and care delivery. Nurses also consult and collaborate with the broader healthcare team to inform their decisions to support safe patient care. Nurses are accountable to reassess patients frequently to make sure the care plan still meets the patients needs and address any changes to the patients’ health condition. Consistently reassessing patients is a key component to maintaining patient safety and improving patient health outcomes. Not doing so, may pose significant risks to their health. Though performing assessments are part of a nurses’ foundational competencies, it is critical that nurses maintain this knowledge and skill. Nurses can maintain or increase competence in assessments through specialized education or developing new skills throughout the course of their nursing practice. All nurses are accountable to reflect on their practice every day to determine their learning needs and actively update their knowledge and skills to maintain their competence. Nurses are expected to participate in Quality Assurance and continue their ongoing learning and development. Do I need an order to do a nursing assessment?Nurses have the authority to perform a nursing assessment using their nursing knowledge, skill and judgment. Employer policies may provide additional direction related to nursing assessments, such as processes, tools and best practices. Nurses do not require a directive or order to perform assessments. What should a nurse consider when determining an assessment?A theory, framework or evidence-based tool should be used when describing the patients’ situation. Nurses should also consult the patient and other members of the health care team to create a patient-centered care plan. It is important to include the patient in their care decisions because the patient is the expert of their own lives. The care plan should identify the patient’s goals, wishes and preferences. Patient’s choices can be based on their individual values or stem from cultural and religious beliefs. Nurses are sensitive to and respect their patients’ decisions. When should I document my assessment?Nurses assess patients regularly while providing care. Nursing documentation provides a clear picture of:
Every assessment is documented along with any changes to the patient’s care plan. Nurses also evaluate the outcomes of each approach, re-assess the patient’s situation and modify the plan if required. Failure to assess or re-assess a patient can result in serious consequences, such as patient decline in health and even death. To support a collaborative approach to care, nurses should ensure their documentation is a complete record of nursing care provided and reflects all aspects of the nursing process, including assessment, planning, intervention (independent and collaborative) and evaluation. This ensures communication to all health care providers of the plan of care of patients. To support documentation practices, employers should ensure they have policies that reflect the Documentation practice standard and guide nursing practice within specific settings. For example, having explicit assessment norms and documentation expectations. CNO Standards and Guidelines
External ResourcesA-Z Guide of Clinical Assessment Tools for Nurses (U.K) Potter, P. A., Duggleby, W. D., & Astle, B. J. (2018). Canadian fundamentals of nursing (6th ed.). Elsevier Canada. Jarvis, C., Browne, A. J., MacDonald-Jenkins, J., & Luctkar-Flude, M. (2019). Physical examination & health assessment (3rd ed.). Elsevier Canada. Page last reviewed November 10, 2021How can a nurse best assess a patient's style of learning?You can also consider using checklists and questionnaires to obtain information about learning needs, learning style, and learning readiness. Written materials also help you determine the patient's literacy level and ability to understand written information. Confer with other health care team members.
What are the steps in assessing learning needs?The Four Steps of the Assessment Cycle. Step 1: Clearly define and identify the learning outcomes. ... . Step 2: Select appropriate assessment measures and assess the learning outcomes. ... . Step 3: Analyze the results of the outcomes assessed. ... . Step 4: Adjust or improve programs following the results of the learning outcomes assessed.. Which assessment should be performed by the nurse to determine the patient's motivation to learn?Which assessment should be performed by the nurse to determine the patient's motivation to learn? Rationale: The nurse should assess the patient's learning style preference to determine motivation to learn.
What are the 3 basic learning principles nursing?Let's start with the first three principles. They are relevance, motivation, and readiness. By relevance, I meant the material being presented to the clients needs to be meaningful to them, easily understood by them, and related to information they already know.
What is the nurse's primary role in planning for the patient's educational needs?Nurses must assess their patients to pinpoint the best way to educate them about their health and determine how much they already know about their medical condition. They need to build a rapport with patients by asking questions to zero in on concerns.
What is the best method for patient education?Five strategies for patient education success. Take advantage of educational technology. Technology has made patient education materials more accessible. ... . Determine the patient's learning style. ... . Stimulate the patient's interest. ... . Consider the patient's limitations and strengths. ... . Include family members in health care management.. |
