NCLEX Study Guide: Generating Solutions & Planning Care

Vocabulary flashcards grounded in Chapter 18 source materials on generating solutions and planning nursing care for NCLEX review.

Planning Phase of the Nursing Process

The second clinical decision-making stage where the nurse synthesizes assessment data and prioritized nursing hypotheses to establish a clear, individualized roadmap for patient care.

Generate Solutions

Layer 3 Function #4 in the NCSBN Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM) that corresponds to the planning phase and addresses the core clinical question: 'What can I do?'

Priority Setting

The process of ordering nursing diagnoses or patient problems using determinations of urgency and importance to establish a preferential order for nursing actions.

High Priority (Emergent)

A priority classification level for problems posing an immediate threat to a patient's survival or safety that require immediate nursing attention, such as airway obstruction or acute cardiac ischemia.

Intermediate Priority (Non-Life-Threatening)

A priority classification level for non-emergent, non-life-threatening actual or potential needs that require intervention to prevent complications, such as acute surgical pain or impaired physical mobility.

Low Priority (Future Well-Being)

A priority classification level focusing on long-term healthcare needs, patient education, coping, and future well-being, such as readiness for enhanced health management.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A framework for priority setting that organizes patient needs into five levels: Physiological Needs (highest priority), Safety Needs, Love and Belonging Needs, Esteem Needs, and Self-Actualization Needs (lowest priority).

Goal

A broad statement that describes the desired change in a patient's condition, perceptions, or behavior, serving as the ultimate aim, intent, or end of nursing care.

Expected Outcome

A specific, measurable change that must be achieved to reach a goal.

Patient-Centered Goal

A statement reflecting a patient's highest possible level of wellness and independence in function based on needs, abilities, and resources.

Nursing-Sensitive Outcome

A measurable patient, family, or community state, behavior, or perception largely influenced by and sensitive to nursing interventions.

Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)

A standardized language system that links measurable outcomes directly to NANDA-I nursing diagnoses.

SMART Acronym

A framework ensuring expected outcome statements are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timed.

Nursing Interventions

Treatments or actions based on clinical judgment and knowledge that nurses perform to enhance patient outcomes.

Nursing Care Plan

A planning system that includes nursing diagnoses, goals/expected outcomes, nursing interventions, and an evaluation findings section to reduce the risk of incomplete or inaccurate care.

Interdisciplinary Care Plan

A plan that integrates contributions from all healthcare disciplines involved in patient care (e.g., MD, RN, PT, OT, MSW, Dietitian) to ensure coordinated teamwork and prevent fragmented care.

Student Care Plan

An educational planning tool designed to apply classroom and literature knowledge to clinical practice and teach the critical thinking planning process.

Critical Pathways

Multidisciplinary patient care plans providing team activities and tasks to be executed sequentially to deliver timely, standardized care for specific patient populations.

Concept Map

A visual diagram representing all patient nursing diagnoses and mapping interventions to each, serving as the best tool for patients with multiple complex diagnoses.

Hand-Off Reporting

A critical collaborative process where nurses transfer essential information during care transitions to ensure continuity of care and prevent medical errors or delays.

Consultation

A collaborative process where the nurse seeks the expertise of a specialist to solve complex patient management problems, occurring most frequently during the planning and implementation phases.