Question

A patient had hip surgery 16 hours ago. During the previous shift the patient had 40 mL of drainage in the surgical drainage collection device for an 8-hour period. The nurse refers to the written plan of care, noting that the health care provider is to be notified when drainage in the device exceeds 100 mL for the day. On entering the room, the nurse looks at the device and carefully notes the amount of drainage currently in it. This is an example of:

1. Planning.
2. Evaluation.
3. Intervention.
4. Diagnosis.

Answer 1

The nurse's action of checking the surgical drainage collection device to note the amount of drainage is an example of evaluation in the nursing process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario described where a nurse checks the amount of drainage in a surgical drainage collection device for a patient who had hip surgery 16 hours ago is an example of evaluation. Evaluation is a critical phase in the nursing process where the nurse determines the outcome of the care provided and the status of the patient's recovery. By carefully noting the amount of drainage currently in the device, the nurse evaluates whether the drainage exceeds the threshold set by the healthcare provider, which is 100 mL for the day. This step is necessary to determine the next course of action, which could involve notifying the healthcare provider if the threshold is exceeded.