Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

When a nurse updates a nursing care plan to reflect a patient's current status, this is referred to as what?

1. Revised outcome

2. Intervention adjustment

3. Nursing evaluation

4. Patient reassessment

The correct answer is: Revised outcome

The process of updating a nursing care plan to reflect a patient's current status is correctly referred to as a revised outcome. This action signifies that the nurse has taken into account the patient's ongoing needs, responses to previous interventions, and any changes in their condition. This revision is crucial to ensure that patient care is dynamic and responsive. As the patient's status fluctuates, adjusting the outcomes within the care plan helps to align nursing actions with the patient's evolving health goals. It underlines the importance of continuous assessment and modification within nursing practice. While intervention adjustment pertains to modifications in specific nursing actions or therapies applied, it’s the updating of outcomes that encapsulates the overall progress or lack thereof regarding the goals set for patient care. Nursing evaluation could refer to the overall assessment of care effectiveness, but it does not specifically focus on the act of adjusting the care plan to reflect new outcomes. Patient reassessment may involve checking the patient’s status, but it does not directly link to updating the care plan itself; it simply informs what changes may be necessary.