implementing /im″pləmen′ting/ [L, implere, to fill] , (in five-step nursing process) a category of nursing behavior in which the actions necessary for accomplishing the health care plan are initiated and completed. Implementing includes performing or assisting in the performance of the patient’s activities of daily living, if necessary; counseling and teaching the patient or the patient’s family; giving care to achieve patient comfort and therapeutic goals and to optimize the patient’s achievement of health goals; supervising and evaluating the work of staff members; and recording and exchanging information relevant to the patient’s continued health care. The nurse helps the patient and the patient’s family recognize and manage the emotional and psychological stress attendant on the patient’s condition and facilitates the relationships of the patient, patient’s family, staff, and other significant people. Correct principles, procedures, and techniques of health care are taught, and the patient is informed about the current status of his or her health. If necessary, the patient or the patient’s family is referred to a health or social resource in the community. Care is given to achieve therapeutic goals, including acting to compensate for adverse reactions; using preventive and precautionary measures and correct technique in administering care; preparing the patient for surgery, delivery, or other procedure; and initiating lifesaving measures in emergencies. Care is given to the patient in a manner and to a degree that best promotes the patient’s attainment of the goals by providing an environment that is conducive to attaining them, by adjusting the care given according to the patient’s needs, by stimulating and motivating the patient to achieve independence, by encouraging the patient to comply with and accept the regimen of care, and by compensating for the staff reactions to factors that influence the relationship with the patient and the therapy planned. Implementing follows planning and precedes evaluating in the five-step nursing process. See also analyzing, assessing, evaluating, nursing process, planning.
