The charge nurse is assigning patient care activities to the nursing care team. In supervising the team, what is the most effective activity to determine that the nursing care has been completed satisfactorily?

Question

a. Have hourly checks with personnel to de-termine how effectively nursing care is being completed.
b. Review with personnel at the end of the shift regarding the status of patients and how care was delivered.
c. Discuss with each person the status of their assigned patients and what type of nursing care each will require.
d. Schedule routine patient care rounds to evaluate the patients and the nursing care that has been completed.

Answer 1

A
Supervision entails providing direction, evaluation, and follow-up by the nurse regarding the nursing care assigned. The only way the nurse can determine whether the care has been done sa-tisfactorily is to monitor the task (hourly checks with personnel) and evaluate the patient. Waiting until the end of the shift could lead to problems not being assessed early to prevent complications. Discussing with the health care provider about the patient is a good practice, but determining the outcome of the care is what needs to be evaluated not just telling them what type of care is required. Scheduling rounds allows the nurse to evaluate the patient; however, communication with the nursing team is important to determine if care is administered satisfactorily.