STEPS OF HEALTH ASSESSMENT

The assessment phase of the nursing process has four major

Steps:

1. Collection of subjective data

2. Collection of objective data

3. Validation of data

4. Documentation of data

Although there are four steps, they tend to overlap and you

May perform two or three steps concurrently. For example, you

May ask your client, Jane Q., if she has dry skin while you are

Inspecting the condition of the skin. If she answers “no,” but

You notice that the skin on her hands is very dry, validation

With the client may be performed at this point.

Each part of assessment is discussed briefly in the following

Sections. However, Chapters 2, 3, and 4 provide an in-depth

Explanation of each of the four assessment steps. In addition,

The four steps of the assessment process format are carried

Throughout this text. All of the physical assessment chapters

Contain the following sections: Collecting Subjective Data,

Collecting Objective Data, and a combined Validation and

Documentation section.