NURSING TEST TAKING STRATEGY V: G. Steps of the Nursing Process - EVALUATION

V: Questions that Require Prioritizing

7. EVALUATION

a. Evaluation questions focus on comparing the actual outcomes of care with the actual outcomes of care with the expected outcomes and focus on how the nurse should monitor or make a judgement concerning a client’s response to therapy or to a nursing action.

b. These questions address evaluating the client’s ability to implement self-care, health care members’ ability to implement care, and the process of communicating and documenting evaluation findings.

c. In an evaluation question, be alert to false response question because they are used frequently in evaluation-type questions, and the question may ask for a client statement that indicates accurate or inaccurate information related to the issue of the question.

PRACTICE QUESTION: The Nursing Process – Evaluation

A client with multiple sclerosis has been taking oxybutynin (Ditropan). The nurse determines the degree of effectiveness of the medication by asking the client about changes in the following:

1. Extent of muscle spasms
2. Level of fatigue
3. Bowel movements
4. Pattern of urination

Answer: 4

Test-Taking Strategy: This is an evaluation question. Note the key words determine the degree of effectiveness. Oxybutynin is antispasmodic used to relieve symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia, and incontinence in clients with uninhibited or reflex neurogenic bladder. Recalling that this medication is used to treat bladder dysfunction will direct you to option 4. Remember evaluation is the fifth step of the nursing process.