Final answer:
A short-term goal during the nursing planning step could be reducing a patient's pain level within 24 hours, using a detailed and SMART action plan that includes medication and assessment. This involves setting specific actions and target dates, making the goal attainable and measurable.
Step-by-step explanation:
A short-term goal that a nurse may identify during the planning step of the nursing process could exemplify the objective of reducing a patient's pain from a score of 8 to 4 on the pain scale within 24 hours. To accomplish this, the nurse needs to develop an achievable and relevant plan, which might include administering prescribed pain medication at regular intervals, providing non-pharmacological pain relief methods like ice or heat application, and continuously monitoring the pain levels. The nurse will set specific actions with a target date to measure the effectiveness of the interventions, thereby applying the SMART goals criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
In this context, it's also crucial for the nurse to break down the goal into manageable action steps and create a tangible Action Plan that details the process of achieving the short-term pain reduction objective. This can include identifying the when and where of medication administration, as well as the necessary documentation and follow-up assessments. The concept of setting short-term goals aligns with the practice of approaching larger tasks by segmenting them into a series of smaller steps, which provides more clarity, maintains motivation, and ensures that the overall goal is less overwhelming.