Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Practice Exam

Which activity is least likely to be a goal of outcome identification in nursing?

1. Communicating the plan of care

2. Evaluating the patient's response to interventions

3. Identifying and writing expected patient outcomes

4. Selecting evidence-based nursing interventions

The correct answer is: Evaluating the patient's response to interventions

Evaluating the patient's response to interventions is focused on assessing outcomes rather than setting or identifying them. The process of outcome identification in nursing primarily involves the establishment of clear, measurable goals for the patient's care and ensuring that these are communicated effectively. The activities that are central to outcome identification include articulating the anticipated results of nursing care, which involves identifying and writing expected patient outcomes. Additionally, selecting appropriate evidence-based nursing interventions supports achieving these outcomes. Communicating the plan of care ensures that everyone involved in the patient's care is aware of the established goals, which also aligns closely with outcome identification. Evaluating the patient's response fits more appropriately into the evaluation phase of the nursing process, where nurses assess how well the expected outcomes have been achieved after interventions have been implemented. This phase comes after the identification of goals, emphasizing its distinction from the activities that directly contribute to outcome identification.