bed and also determines if the patient continues to get out of bed on a daily basis.
If the patient continues to have no problems getting out of bed, the nurse may
change the interventions to include walking short distances in addition to getting
out of bed and increase those distances each day. When the patient is able to
get out of bed and walk without assistance, the final goal will have been achieved.
The nursing process is circular. If the nurse determines during the evaluation
step that the intervention didn’t work or the expected outcome has been achieved,
the nurse begins the nursing process again, starting with the assessment step and
then revises the care plan as the patient’s problem changes. The nursing process
is repeated until the patient’s problem(s) is resolved.
ASSESSMENT RELATED TO DRUGS
During the assessment phase, the nurse systematically collects, verifies, and ana-
lyzes patient-related data. A portion of the assessment process directly relates to
administering medication to the patient.
Before medication is given to a patient, the nurse must make the follow
assessments.
Is the drug order valid?
A drug order must be written by a physician, dentist, physician assistant, or
advanced practice nurse and contain:
- The date and time the order is written
- The name of the drug
- The dosage
- The route of administration
- The frequency of administration
- The duration (how long the patient is to receive the drug)
- The signature of the prescriber
Identify the brand and generic name for the drug
Drugs are known under several names. These are- The chemical name used by pharmacists and researchers
- The generic name, which is the official (proprietary) non-proprietary name
that is universally accepted
CHAPTER 3 Pharmacology and the Nursing Process^43