PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT IN NURSING PROCESS

The purpose of assessment is to establish a database concerning a client’s physical, psychosocial, and emotional health in order to identify health promoting behaviors as well as actual and/or potential health problems. The American Nurses Association (ANA), in its Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice (1998), supports the use of the nursing process and outlines the essential components of assessment in this process. Through assessment, the nurse determines the client’s functional abilities and the absence or presence of dysfunction. The client’s normal routine for activities of daily living and lifestyle patterns are also assessed. Identification of the client’s strengths provides the nurse and other members of the treatment team information about the skills, abilities, and behaviors the client has available to promote the treatment and recovery process. Some examples of client strengths are family support, intelligence, spiritual beliefs, and coping skills (how previous problems have been solved). The assessment phase also offers an opportunity for the nurse to form a therapeutic interpersonal relationship with the client. During assessment, the client is provided an opportunity to discuss health care concerns and goals with the nurse.