Priority setting in nursing practice Flashcards
Introduction
Priority setting is an essential critical thinking skill
Management of a patient load depends heavily on setting priorities
New nurses may have difficulty with priority setting because of focusing on one problem at a time instead of seeing the whole picture
More intro
**Assessment is the most important step in priority setting to allow nurses to define patient needs, establish interventions and implement a plan of care to insure maximum patient safety
More about priorities
**Priorities will be influenced by the acuity of the patient’s condition when compared to the acuity of all patients assigned to the nurse
Three basic steps in time management
Allow time for planning and establishing priorities
Complete the highest priority task whenever possible
finish one task before beginning another
Reprioritize based on the remaining tasks and on any new information that may be received
Always do a complete assessment!!!
Ranking patient priorities- 1st level
Immediate threat to patient's safety Immediate threat to patient's survival 1.) Airway 2.) Breathing 3.) Circulation
** Always make sure the patient is safe then assess the airway
Ranking patient priorities- 2nd level
Change in mental status Acute pain (That is, sudden, new acute pain)
Untreated medical symptoms such as: ELEVATED BLOOD SUGAR, abnormal lab results, risk of infection, threat of feelings of safety and security
** New onset of a fever needs to be addressed BUT NOT BEFORE THE 1ST LEVEL!!
Ranking patient priorities- 3rd level
Monitoring for medication side effects
lack of patient knowledge (educate the patient)
implementation of ongoing treatments
discharge planning needs
Additional principles of prioritization
Know needs and priorities of each patient
Use information from hand off communication as well as patient’s acuity level
Complete nursing shift assessments ASAP
Additional principles of prioritization
Consider all factors available resources and staff qualifications of staff what can be delegated How much time is involved in interventions
Additional principles of prioritization
Reevaluate and reorganize priorities as needed
Assess patient’s abilities and strengths so that they may assume more self-care
Encourage family participation in care
