What it means
Part of planning in the nursing processNUR-sing PRAH-sesThe step-by-step method nurses use to plan and give care: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate.Full entry . An expected outcome states what the client will do or show, by when, in terms that can be measured: "The client will walk 50 feet with a walker without help by day 3." At evaluation, the nurse compares the client's progress with the outcome and keeps, changes or ends the plan. Outcomes are often written as SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
For the nurse
Write outcomes about the client, not the nurse, and set them with the client when possible.
At a glance
| Also written | expected outcomes, outcome criteria |
|---|
Related terms
intervention
An action taken to help a client, such as a treatment, a test, a teaching session or a nursing action.
evaluate
To judge whether care worked by comparing the client's results with the goals that were set.
nursing process
The step-by-step method nurses use to plan and give care: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate.
plan of care
A written plan that lists a client's problems, goals and the nursing actions to reach them.
nursing diagnosis
A nurse's judgment about a client's response to a health problem, which the nurse can treat within the nursing scope.