In the evaluation phase of the nursing process, which activity should the nurse perform?

• A. Administer medications
• B. Document only vital signs
• C. Examine the effectiveness of nursing interventions toward meeting client outcomes
• D. Develop the care plan

Answer: (C)

Evaluation focuses on determining whether patient outcomes are being achieved and whether the nursing interventions are effective. In this phase, the nurse reviews data collected during care, compares actual progress with the expected outcomes, and judges whether the chosen interventions are working. If outcomes aren’t being met, the plan is revised to improve effectiveness, goals may be adjusted, and interventions tweaked or added. This is why examining how well the nursing interventions are helping the client reach the stated outcomes best reflects the purpose of evaluation.

Administering medications belongs to putting the plan into action and monitoring its immediate effects, which is part of the implementation phase. Documenting only vital signs is important data collection, but evaluation requires assessing outcome achievement, not just recording data. Developing the care plan is the planning phase, done before implementation and evaluation.