NURSING PROCESS
DEFINITION
 Nursing Process (NP) is defined as a
systematic, continuous and dynamic
method of providing care to clients. It
comprises series of sequential phases
built upon the preceding step. Each phase
logically leads to the next.
PHASES
 Assessment
 Nursing Diagnosis
 Planning
 Implementation
 Evaluation
THE NURSING PROCESS
NURSING PROCESS
 ASSESSMENT - The nurse gathers
subjective & objective information from the
client & other sources in order to understand
the client's situation
 NURSING DIAGNOSIS - Organizes (in
collaboration with the client), interpret the
data and makes nursing diagnosis/ diagnoses,
which is nursing's perspective on the
appropriate focus for client nursing care
 PLANNING - Sets, in collaboration with
client, mutually agreed upon goals of care,
desired outcomes strategies to achieve goals
of care & the identification & prioritization of
appropriate nursing actions
 INTERVENTION - perform the nursing
actions identified in planning
 EVALUATION - Determine if the goals are
met and outcomes achieved
PURPOSES/USES
 It makes client and family feel important and
participative
 It is a time saving device
 It avoids unnecessary nursing actions
BENEFITS OF NURSING PROCESS
 Provides an orderly & systematic method for
planning & providing care
 Enhances nursing efficiency by standardizing
nursing practice
 Facilitates documentation of care
 Provides a unity of language for the nursing
profession
 Is economical
 Stresses the independent function of nurses
 Increases care quality through the use of
deliberate actions
DEFINITION
NURSING PROCESS is a critical thinking
process that professional nurses use to apply the
best available evidence to caregiving and
promoting human functions and responses to
health and illness (American Nurses Association,
2010).
 Nursing process is a systematic method
of providing care to clients
 The nursing process is a systematic
method of planning and providing
individualized nursing care
PURPOSES OF NURSING PROCESS
 To identify a client's health status and actual
or potential health care problems or needs
 To establish plans to meet the identified needs
 To deliver specific nursing interventions to
meet those needs
COMPONENTS OF NURSING PROCESS
It involves assessment (data collection), nursing
diagnosis, planning, implementation, and
evaluation
CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING
PROCESS
 Cyclic
 Dynamic nature
 Client centeredness
 Focus on problem solving and decision
making
 Interpersonal and collaborative style
 Universal applicability

 Use of critical thinking and clinical reasoning
ASSESSMENT
DEFINITION
 Assessment is the systematic and
continuous collection, organization,
validation, and documentation of data
(information).
TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
 The four different types of assessments are;
1. Initial nursing assessment
2. Problem-focused assessment
3. Emergency assessment
4. Time-lapsed reassessment
1. INITIAL NURSING ASSESSMENT:
Performed within specified time after
admission. To establish a complete database
for problem identification. Eg: Nursing
admission assessment
2. PROBLEM-FOCUSED ASSESSMENT: To
determine the status of a specific problem
identified in an earlier assessment. Eg: hourly
checking of vital signs of fever patient
3. EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT: During
emergency situation to identify any life-
threatening situation. Eg: Rapid assessment
of an individual's airway, breathing status, and
circulation during a cardiac arrest
4. TIME-LAPSED REASSESSMENT:
Several months after initial assessment. To
compare the client's current health status with
the data previously obtained.
COLLECTION OF DATA
 Data collection is the process of gathering
information about a client's health status.
It includes the health history, physical
examination, results of laboratory and
NURSING PROCESS
diagnostic tests, and material contributed by
other health personnel.
TYPES OF DATA
Types of Data Two types: subjective data and
objective data.
SUBJECTIVE DATA
 also referred to as symptoms or covert
data, are clear only to the person affected
and can be described only by that person.
 Itching, pain, and feelings of worry are
examples of subjective data
OBJECTIVE DATA
 also referred to as signs or overt data, are
detectable by an observer or can be
measured or tested against an acceptable
standard. They can be seen, heard, felt, or
smell, and they are obtained by
observation or physical examination
 For example, a discoloration of the skin
or a blood pressure reading is objective
data.
SOURCES OF DATA
Sources of data are primary or secondary.
PRIMARY:
 It is the direct source of information. The
client is the primary source of data
SECONDARY:
 It is the indirect source of information.
All sources other than the client are
considered secondary sources. Family
members, health professionals, records
and reports, laboratory and diagnostic
results are secondary sources.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
The methods used to collect data are observation,
interview and examination
OBSERVATION:
 It is gathering data by using the senses.
Vision, Smell and Hearing are used
INTERVIEW:
 An interview is a planned
communication or a conversation with a
purpose.
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