nursing process, the process that serves as an organizational framework for the practice of nursing. It encompasses all of the steps taken by the nurse in caring for a patient: assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The rationale for each step is founded in nursing theory. The process requires a systematic approach to the person’s situation, beginning with assessment and including an evaluation and reconciliation of the perceptions by the person, the person’s family, and the nurse. A plan for the nursing actions to be taken may then be made, and, with the participation of the person and the person’s family, the plan may be set. The plan developed with the person and the person’s family is then implemented. The outcome is evaluated with the person and the person’s family. The steps follow each other at the start of the process but may need to be taken concurrently in some situations. The process does not reach completion with evaluation. The steps are begun again, allowing recurrent evaluation of the assessment, plan, goals, and actions. See also five-step nursing process, nursing.
