Assessment tool
The assessment tool selected was King’s Goal Oriented Nursing Record. According to King,
A theory of goal attainment provides a way to design a record for documenting nurses’ actions and patient progress. This documentation system also provides a permanent record that may be used by nurses to record and evaluate their observations, their actions, and client’s response to care.
King stated that the use of reliable assessment tools provides data to be used in later research studies. The goals set and goals achieved provide a measure of the effectiveness of care.
Increased autonomy in the home care field, along with increased workload due to case management, created and procedures and effective time management appeared to be major issues that the group chose to focus on. Group members said they felt nursing was “a different profession” that most people don’t understand. Members said they felt that most people believe “nurses can handle anything” without taking the nurse’s personal and professional feelings into account. All members expressed feeling anxious and ineffective in regard to coping with personal and professional life styles.
The group explored health maintenance and health promotion issues. The expression of feelings was encouraged throughout the group process. Discussion initially centered on each individual’s perception of health and factor that could and do alter one’s health. The results of the assessment tool combined with the knowledge gained during the first session assisted the leader in formulating the nursing diagnoses.