A nurse is checking over the past charting of the previous shift, payi

A nurse is checking over the past charting of the previous shift, paying special attention to how a particular client responded to nursing interventions throughout the day.

The nurse is caring for this client and wants to see what has been effective, as well as what didn’t work. This nurse is utilizing which of the steps of the decision-making process?
1. Set the criteria
2. Examine alternatives
3. Implement
4. Evaluate the outcome

ANSWER

Correct Answer: 4
Rationale: In evaluating, the nurse determines the effectiveness of the plan and whether the initial purpose was achieved. In this situation, the nurse wants to determine what worked on the previous shift and what didn’t. This will help with deciding on interventions for the client during the shift. Setting criteria is based on three questions: What is the desired outcome? What needs to be preserved? What needs to be avoided? Examining alternatives ensures that there is an objective rationale in relation to the established criteria for choosing one strategy over another. In this case, the nurse is evaluating the previous nurse’s alternatives, not choosing new ones. Implementation is putting a plan into action.