The profession of nursing plays an essential role in clinical practice by conducting medical procedures, supporting patients, and assisting doctors. Indeed, the nursing process can be defined as “a systematic method which utilizes scientific reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking to direct nurses in caring for patients effectively” (Semachew, 2018, p. 1). In other words, this approach aims to identify or prevent potential health issues and introduce timely interventions (Semachew, 2018). This method consists of five distinct steps: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation (Prak & Wivatvanit, 2018). The nursing process is an essential part of medical practice that helps nurses develop critical thinking and clinical judgment.
The five elements of the nursing process play a critical role in promoting health and improving patient outcomes. The first component is assessment, which is a systematic approach to patient data collection to accurately identify health problems (Semachew, 2018). Secondly, diagnosis, in this case, is understood as establishing a potential issue that can be managed by nursing intervention alone (Semachew, 2018). Thirdly, planning is defined as developing goals and steps to achieve specific objectives (Semachew, 2018). The fourth element is implementation, which is performing the formulated plan (Semachew, 2018).
Lastly, evaluation is done to identify the extent to which the nursing process was adequate for a particular patient (Semachew, 2018). Although this methodology is effective, it is often underutilized in hospitals because of the lack of staff and time. For example, nurses in low-income countries claim that implementing all steps of the nursing process is challenging due to the low nurse-to-patient ratio (Semachew, 2018). Thus, it is crucial to address this issue with the governments and hospital administration to ensure that enough clinicians work in healthcare organizations to increase their effectiveness.
The most significant characteristics of the nursing process are an organized structure, evidence-based methods, adaptability, and a goal-oriented approach. Indeed, this method provides a scientific framework for nurses to assess patients’ health states (Mona, 2020). Furthermore, it consists of a series of steps that help analyze the problem and develop a proper solution (Mona, 2020). The intellectual activity that is constantly demanded in this approach is dynamic and systematic. The nursing process allows for addressing patients’ concerns and needs in a stepwise manner, ensuring that all aspects of health and disease are covered (Mona, 2020). Although the general schemata of the five steps are provided, the process is flexible to individual issues (Mona, 2020). Moreover, the nursing process is always oriented to a specific objective, sharpening nurses’ clinical judgment and teaching them to use effective methodologies to attain goals faster.
The vital benefit of the nursing process is patient participation in care and the universalization of clinical practice in different hospitals. The personalized approach in this method allows close communication and cooperation between nurses and clients. The former “can prioritize and give holistic care,” while the latter can participate “in the process of care delivery” (Gazari et al., 2021, p. 3286). Furthermore, introducing the five-step model in healthcare organizations will simplify patients’ experiences and improve collaboration across different hospitals (Gazari et al., 2021). Notably, achieving better results can bring job satisfaction to nurses, which can also be considered a benefit (Gazari et al., 2021). It appears that the nursing process can bring tremendous advantages to clinicians and patients.
Another essential aspect of this method is the opportunity to boost nurses’ clinical reasoning and critical thinking. It became possible due to the orientation of a particular goal for every patient, which can only be reached if a scientific judgment is applied (Mona, 2020). Indeed, consistent implementation of the systematic approach in various cases enables nursing staff to master their critical thinking skills (Mona, 2020). Moreover, an organized structure of the nursing process “helps nurses to efficiently apply their intellectual, psychomotor, and interpersonal skills” (Mona, 2020, para. 2). It appears that this deliberate nursing practice is an effective tool for improving clinical judgment, which is vital in making the correct diagnosis and choosing the proper treatment protocol.
In summary, the nursing process is a systematized method that strives to attain superior patient outcomes by a stepwise assessment of individuals. It comprises five elements that include assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Each step intends to involve patients in care by building trustful nurse-patient relationships. Furthermore, these nursing process components provide a backbone for work, but they are flexible to individual patients’ needs. This methodology ensures that only scientific reasoning is used to make a diagnosis and generate a plan of care. Moreover, since the nursing process is a goal-oriented approach, it ensures that practical tools are implemented to help patients most effectively. Notably, the organized and focused nature of this method not only allows nurses to manage their work better but also elicits critical thinking abilities. Indeed, applying a systematized model to different scenarios promotes the sharpening of clinical reasoning skills. Overall, nurses and patients can receive a substantial benefit from this process because it improves communication, diagnosis, and outcomes.
References
Gazari, T., Apiribu, F., Afaya, R. A., Awenabisa, A. G., Dzomeku, V. M., Mensah, A. B. B., Amooba, P. A., & Kukeba, M. W. (2021). Qualitative exploration of the challenges and the benefits of the nursing process in clinical practice: A study among registered nurses in a municipal hospital in Ghana. Nursing Open, 8(6), 3281-3290. Web.
Mona, M. (2020). Community health nursing process: Characteristics and importance. Nursing Exercise. Web.
Prak, M., & Wivatvanit, S. (2018). The development of neonatal nursing standards of practice for Cambodia: A Delphi study. Journal of Health Research, 32(1), 12-23. Web.
Semachew, A. (2018). Implementation of nursing process in clinical settings: The case of three governmental hospitals in Ethiopia, 2017. BMC Research Notes, 11(1), 173. Web.