The
quintessential gift nurses bring to the delivery of healthcare is our assessments. Our
assessments provide clues; telling us if patients are getting better or worse. In
addition, assessments help us and others make decisions regarding care.
In
the ideal world, nurses would have ample time to do a comprehensive assessment
on every patient as often as needed. In the real world, nurses are lucky if
they get 5 minutes to do a “drive-by” making sure their patients are breathing!
If
assessments are our gift, how do we continue to “give” with the added demands
placed on us?
We do this by mastering the skill of
focused assessments.
