In which step of the nursing process would the nurse ask a patient if the medication she administered relieved his pain?

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse - 2016

Explanation

The Evaluation phase of the nursing process is used to determine the effectiveness of nursing interventions.
In this step, the nurse compares the patient's actual outcome with the desired outcome set during the planning phase.
Asking a patient if the administered medication relieved their pain is a direct way to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention (medication administration).
This feedback is crucial for deciding whether to continue, modify, or discontinue the plan of care.

Option A: Assessment is the initial step of gathering data about the patient's condition before any interventions are planned or implemented. While reassessment occurs during evaluation, the primary data gathering happens first.
Option B: Analysis (or Diagnosis) is the step where the nurse interprets the assessment data to identify the patient's health problems and formulate a nursing diagnosis.
Option C: Planning involves setting patient-centered goals and outcomes, and selecting appropriate nursing interventions to achieve these goals. This happens before the medication is given.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to The five steps of the nursing process (ADPIE) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Evaluation is a critical component of patient safety and quality care. It ensures that the care provided is effective and tailored to the patient's needs.
Failure to properly evaluate interventions can lead to unresolved health problems, patient harm, and increased healthcare costs.
What if? If the patient reports that the pain is not relieved after medication, the nurse must restart the nursing process. This involves reassessing the pain, considering factors that may be inhibiting relief, modifying the care plan (e.g., trying non-pharmacological methods, contacting the provider for a different order), implementing the new plan, and evaluating again.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key action in the question: 'ask a patient if the medication she administered relieved his pain'.
Recognize that this action is a follow-up to a previously performed nursing intervention (administering medication).
Recall the five steps of the nursing process: Assessment, Diagnosis (Analysis), Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADPIE).
Consider the purpose of each step. Assessment is data gathering. Diagnosis is problem identification. Planning is goal setting. Implementation is performing the action.
Evaluation is checking the results or outcomes of the action.
Since the nurse is checking the result of the pain medication, this action directly aligns with the definition of the Evaluation step.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 p. 12-14

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 p. 55-57

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