What are nursing care considerations in patient care?

September 26, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. A comprehensive understanding of what are nursing care considerations is central to this holistic approach to patient care.

Quick Summary

Nursing care considerations encompass a range of factors that influence a nurse's clinical judgment and actions, ensuring patient-centered, safe, and effective care. They include comprehensive patient assessments, ethical principles, evidence-based practices, and effective communication among the healthcare team, all vital for positive health outcomes.

Key Points

Holistic Assessment: Nursing care considers a patient's physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health, not just their medical diagnosis, to provide comprehensive care.
ADPIE Framework: Considerations are systematically integrated into the five steps of the nursing process: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
Ethical Practice: Adherence to ethical principles such as patient advocacy, confidentiality, and informed consent is a fundamental consideration in every nursing action.
Prioritization of Needs: Using frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy, nurses prioritize the most critical patient needs, such as physiological stability and safety, over lesser concerns.
Evidence-Based Decisions: All nursing interventions, particularly medication administration, are guided by current evidence and a thorough rationale to ensure optimal outcomes.
Effective Communication: Considerations for clear communication and collaboration with other healthcare team members are crucial for ensuring coordinated, continuous care and patient safety.

The Foundational Role of the Nursing Process

Before delving into specific considerations, it's essential to understand the nursing process, which provides the systematic framework for all nursing care. This five-step process—Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADPIE)—ensures that care is organized, logical, and adaptable to a patient’s changing needs. Nursing care considerations are integrated at every stage of this cycle, from the initial data collection during assessment to the final review of outcomes during evaluation.

Assessment: A Holistic View of the Patient

The assessment phase is where the nurse gathers crucial information about the patient. Considerations during this phase go beyond simple physiological data like vital signs. A holistic approach demands attention to several key areas:

Physical: Assessing a patient's current symptoms, pain levels, and physical limitations is fundamental.
Emotional: A patient's anxiety, coping mechanisms, and mental state are critical, as emotional health directly impacts physical recovery.
Social and Cultural: Understanding a patient's cultural background, socioeconomic status, and support system is vital for developing a care plan that is both feasible and respectful of their values.
Spiritual: For many patients, spiritual beliefs influence their perception of illness and their decisions about treatment. Acknowledging this aspect is part of providing truly patient-centered care.

Prioritization and the Hierarchy of Needs

In any care setting, nurses face competing priorities. A useful tool for managing this is a modified version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This helps nurses prioritize care by focusing on the most critical needs first.

Physiological Needs: These are the highest priority. They include immediate needs like airway, breathing, circulation, nutrition, and elimination. For example, a nurse will address a compromised airway before focusing on a patient's emotional distress.
Safety and Security: This involves ensuring the patient's environment is safe. Considerations include preventing falls, managing infection control, and protecting the patient from harm.
Love and Belonging: Providing therapeutic communication and fostering supportive relationships can help prevent social isolation.

Ethical and Legal Nursing Considerations

Beyond clinical skills, nurses must navigate a complex landscape of ethical principles and legal obligations that guide their practice. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics provides a crucial framework.

Patient Advocacy: A nurse's primary commitment is to the patient. This means advocating for their rights, health, and safety, especially when the patient cannot advocate for themselves.
Confidentiality: Upholding patient privacy is a cornerstone of ethical nursing practice and is legally protected by regulations like HIPAA. All patient information must be handled with the utmost discretion.
Informed Consent: Ensuring that a patient fully understands and consents to their treatment plan is a critical consideration, especially in research or complex procedures.
Accountability: Nurses are responsible for their actions and decisions, as well as the actions they delegate to others. This includes meticulous documentation of all care provided, which serves as a legal record.

Evidence-Based Practice and Medication Administration

Nursing interventions and considerations must be grounded in the latest evidence and research to ensure the best possible patient outcomes. A prime example of this is medication administration, which requires multiple layers of consideration.

Medication Safety: For each drug, a nurse must consider its purpose, potential side effects, contraindications, and appropriate dosage. A key consideration is monitoring the patient for any adverse reactions after administration.
Patient Education: Before administering a new medication, the nurse considers what information the patient needs to know to manage their health effectively, including side effects to watch for and how to take the medication correctly.

Comparison of In-Hospital vs. At-Home Care Considerations


Consideration	In-Hospital Care	At-Home Care
Environment	Controlled and sterile. Infection control is a high priority. Equipment is readily available.	Uncontrolled. Requires assessing for environmental hazards like tripping risks. Equipment may be limited.
Resources	Immediate access to a full interdisciplinary team (physicians, pharmacists, specialists).	Limited access to team members. Nurse may need to coordinate with different providers remotely.
Patient Involvement	Patient and family education is essential for hospital stay and discharge.	Patient and family become primary caregivers. Extensive education and support are required to ensure independence.
Safety Protocols	Standardized hospital procedures for fall prevention, infection control, and emergency response.	Protocols must be adapted to the home setting, focusing on fall prevention, medication storage, and emergency planning.
Monitoring	Frequent, continuous monitoring with advanced equipment is possible for critical patients.	Monitoring is less frequent and relies heavily on patient self-reporting and telehealth.

The Role of Technology and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Modern nursing care is heavily influenced by technology and requires seamless collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Considerations in this area include:

Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Ensuring accurate and timely documentation in EHRs is a critical consideration for care continuity and legal protection. It also facilitates communication among the healthcare team.
Telehealth and Remote Monitoring: As care moves outside the hospital, nurses must consider how to leverage technology to monitor patients and communicate effectively, ensuring care continuity.
Team Communication: Effective communication with physicians, physical therapists, social workers, and other team members is a major consideration to prevent errors and optimize patient care. A solid care plan ensures all team members are aligned toward a common goal.

Conclusion

Nursing care considerations are the complex, multi-faceted implications of a nurse's actions and interventions. They extend far beyond basic medical procedures, encompassing a deep understanding of patient psychology, ethics, and the broader healthcare system. From the careful prioritization guided by Maslow's hierarchy to the vigilant monitoring required for medication administration, every step is a deliberate, evidence-based decision aimed at providing safe, high-quality, and compassionate care. A true mastery of these considerations is what elevates a nurse from a task-oriented caregiver to a holistic advocate for the patient's total well-being. For more information on the principles that guide nursing practice, explore the resources available from the American Nurses Association. American Nurses Association

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose is to guide a nurse's clinical judgment and actions, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and patient-centered care that addresses all aspects of a person's health and well-being.

Nursing interventions are the specific actions a nurse performs, while nursing care considerations are the implications and factors a nurse weighs before and after performing those interventions. Considerations include the 'why' behind the intervention and potential outcomes to monitor.

Maslow's hierarchy helps nurses prioritize patient needs, addressing fundamental physiological needs first, such as breathing and circulation, before moving on to less critical needs like safety, belonging, and self-esteem.

Documentation is a key consideration because it serves as a legal record of care provided, facilitates communication among the healthcare team, and ensures continuity of care. Accurate and timely documentation is essential for patient safety and accountability.

Cultural factors influence nursing considerations by shaping a patient's beliefs about health, illness, and treatment. Nurses must consider a patient's cultural background to provide respectful, individualized care that aligns with their values.

Among the most important ethical considerations are patient advocacy, respecting patient confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and practicing accountability. These principles are outlined in the American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics.

Technology impacts nursing care considerations by facilitating access to electronic health records (EHRs), enabling remote patient monitoring via telehealth, and improving communication among the interdisciplinary team. Nurses must consider how to effectively use these tools to optimize patient outcomes and ensure data accuracy.