In clinical judgment, a hypothesis is a proposed explanation of why a patient has a problem, formed from cues and refined as new data arrive.
Missing Word
hypothesis
A hypothesis addresses the reason behind a problem. The nurse forms several, decides which are most likely and most serious, and then plans care around the priority one.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning
Question 2
Recognizing cues, the first cognitive skill of the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model, matches the assessment step of the nursing process.
Missing Word
assessment
Recognizing cues means gathering subjective and objective data and picking out what is relevant and urgent, which is the work of assessment. The model breaks the nursing process into smaller, measurable skills rather than replacing it.
Category: Nursing Process Steps
Question 3
A patient's own description of symptoms, feelings and perceptions is subjective data.
Missing Word
subjective
Subjective data come from what the patient, family or friends report. Objective data, in contrast, are findings the nurse measures or observes.
Category: Recognizing Cues
Question 4
Ranking a patient's problems by urgency, so that new chest pain is addressed before long-standing high blood pressure, is called prioritization.
Missing Word
prioritization
Prioritization orders a patient's problems so the most urgent, potentially life-threatening one gets attention first. New chest pain may signal a heart attack and outranks a chronic, stable condition; the ranked problems then shape the plan of care.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning
Question 5
When generating solutions, an action that could harm the patient in the current situation is classified as contraindicated.
Missing Word
contraindicated
In the clinical judgment model, possible actions are sorted as indicated, contraindicated or nonessential. Recognizing a contraindicated action keeps the nurse from causing harm.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning
Question 6
Moving from specific cues in one patient to a broader conclusion is inductive reasoning, a bottom-up way of thinking.
Missing Word
inductive
Inductive reasoning notices cues, builds a generalization and forms a hypothesis. Deductive reasoning works the other way, applying a general rule to individual cases.
Category: Analyzing Cues
Question 7
An outcome whose progress can be counted or observed, such as the amount of fluid a patient drinks during a shift, meets the M of a SMART goal by being measurable.
Missing Word
measurable
SMART outcomes are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. A measurable outcome gives the nurse something concrete to compare against during evaluation, so it is clear whether the goal was met.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning
Question 8
The usual findings a patient had before the current problem began, which may differ from typical values, such as the lower oxygen saturation of a person with long-standing lung disease, make up that patient's baseline, against which the nurse compares new data.
Missing Word
baseline
A baseline is a patient's own starting point. Comparing new data with it, rather than only with textbook ranges, shows whether a finding is a real change for this patient and helps the nurse recognize which data are true cues.
Category: Recognizing Cues
Question 9
Applying a general rule or standard, such as a hospital-wide policy, to every patient is deductive reasoning, a top-down approach.
Missing Word
deductive
Deductive reasoning starts from a general standard, such as research, regulations or professional guidelines, and applies it to all patients. Inductive reasoning works the opposite way, from specific cues to a broader conclusion.
Category: Analyzing Cues
Question 10
A new fever, a rising heart rate and cloudy drainage from an incision two days after surgery are cues that, analyzed together, point to wound infection.
Missing Word
infection
No single finding proves the problem, but the cluster of fever, faster heart rate and cloudy drainage at the incision fits a wound infection. Linking related cues into a likely explanation is analyzing cues, and the nurse reports the findings to the provider promptly.
Category: Analyzing Cues
Question 11
Short-term goals are usually reached before discharge, while long-term goals often continue after the patient goes home.
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discharge
Short-term goals are reached over a short period and let the nurse check a new treatment or skill. Long-term goals extend over weeks or months and aim to improve quality of life.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning
Question 12
Evaluation is the systematic determination of a patient's progress toward the goals set earlier in the plan of care.
Missing Word
Evaluation
Evaluation is the final step of both the nursing process and the clinical judgment model. It shows whether care worked and whether the plan should be continued, revised or ended.
Category: Evaluating Outcomes
Question 13
Actions a nurse may start without a provider's order, such as repositioning a patient or teaching deep breathing, are independent nursing interventions.
Missing Word
independent
Independent interventions come from the nurse's own judgment and scope of practice. Dependent interventions, such as giving a medication, require a provider's order, and collaborative interventions are carried out with other members of the care team.
Category: Taking Action
Question 14
During planning, the nurse sets outcomes and goals for each identified problem and makes the care team aware of them.
Missing Word
planning
Planning turns the identified problems into goals and chooses the interventions to reach them. Sharing the plan ensures everyone involved works toward the same outcomes.
Category: Nursing Process Steps
Question 15
Using the ABC framework, the nurse addresses an airway problem before breathing and circulation problems.
Missing Word
airway
The ABCs rank airway, breathing and circulation in that order because without an open airway, breathing and circulation cannot be maintained. The framework is a common tool for setting priorities.
Category: Prioritizing and Planning