What is an example of a nursing consideration? A deep dive into patient-centered care.

September 26, 2025 •

4 min read

Nurses spend countless hours ensuring patient well-being, but what is an example of a nursing consideration that goes beyond a task? It is the critical thinking, ethical judgment, and holistic assessment that form the backbone of quality patient care, impacting every decision made at the bedside.

Quick Summary

A nursing consideration is an implication or assessment a nurse makes to inform a care plan, such as prioritizing patient safety by meticulously evaluating a patient's fall risk before and during an intervention.

Key Points

Fall Risk Assessment: A core consideration is evaluating a patient's risk for falling, considering factors like mobility, medication, and environment to prevent injury.
Medication Management: Nursing considerations involve checking for allergies, interactions, and potential side effects before administering any medication to a patient.
Respect for Dignity: A nursing consideration can be as simple as ensuring a patient's privacy and dignity are maintained during personal care, building trust and respect.
Holistic Assessment: Before intervening, a nurse considers the patient's overall well-being, including physical, emotional, and social factors, not just the immediate symptom.
Ethical Decision-Making: In complex situations like end-of-life care, nurses must consider and advocate for the patient's ethical wishes and advance directives.
Proactive vs. Reactive Care: Considerations guide both proactive, preventative measures and reactive responses to immediate changes in a patient's condition.

The Foundation of Nursing Considerations

At its core, a nursing consideration is the mindful, deliberate thought process that precedes, accompanies, and follows a nursing action. It’s more than just following a protocol; it's the application of clinical knowledge to the unique context of a patient's situation. This process aligns with the foundational elements of the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Without thoughtful considerations at each step, care can become generic and less effective. For instance, a nurse providing pain medication doesn't just check the dosage; they also consider the patient's pain tolerance, history with the medication, potential side effects, and ability to report changes.

Patient Safety as a Prime Example

Patient safety is paramount, and it offers some of the most common and critical examples of nursing considerations.

Fall Risk Assessment

A prime example of a nursing consideration is conducting a fall risk assessment. When a nurse is caring for an elderly patient who recently had surgery, they must not only assist the patient with ambulation but first assess the inherent risks. This involves considering several factors:

Patient History: Did the patient have a fall before? Is their mobility limited?
Medications: Are they on new medications that could cause dizziness, like blood pressure drugs or sedatives?
Current State: Are they disoriented, weak, or in pain after the procedure?
Environment: Is the path to the bathroom clear? Is the call light within reach?

Based on these considerations, the nurse may decide to implement specific interventions, such as putting a fall risk wristband on the patient, setting a bed alarm, or ensuring a non-slip mat is available. The consideration of multiple factors to arrive at a personalized safety plan is what elevates the care.

Medication Administration Safety

Another clear example of a nursing consideration involves the administration of medication. Before giving a patient a new drug, the nurse's thought process includes:

Checking for known allergies.
Reviewing the patient's most recent lab results for potential contraindications.
Assessing vital signs to ensure they are within a safe range for the drug.
Educating the patient on what the medication is for and what side effects to watch for.
Ensuring the patient can swallow the pill safely.

This careful consideration prevents adverse drug events and ensures the patient is an informed partner in their care.

Holistic and Ethical Considerations

Nursing considerations extend beyond physical safety to encompass the emotional, psychological, and ethical dimensions of patient care.

Respect for Patient Dignity

When assisting a patient with personal hygiene, a nursing consideration might be ensuring the patient's privacy and dignity are maintained. This could mean:

Pulling the curtain completely shut.
Informing the patient of each step before you perform it.
Using a respectful and gentle tone.
Considering the patient's cultural background or preferences regarding personal care.

This is a simple but profound example of how a nurse's consideration of a patient's emotional well-being can build trust and improve their experience.

Ethical Dilemmas in End-of-Life Care

In end-of-life care, nursing considerations are particularly complex and ethically charged. A nurse caring for a terminal patient must consider not only the physical symptoms but also the patient's expressed wishes, advance directives, and the family's emotional state. The consideration here is about balancing aggressive treatment with comfort care and respecting the patient's right to self-determination, even if family members disagree. The nurse acts as an advocate for the patient's best interests as expressed in their wishes.

Comparing Proactive vs. Reactive Considerations

Nursing considerations can be broadly categorized into proactive and reactive approaches. Both are essential for delivering comprehensive care.


Feature	Proactive Considerations	Reactive Considerations
Timing	Before an issue occurs	In response to a change or event
Goal	Preventative care, risk mitigation	Addressing and managing an immediate problem
Example	Implementing a bed alarm for a fall-risk patient based on assessment scores.	Noticing a patient's breathing is labored and immediately elevating their head of the bed.
Focus	Holistic patient needs, potential problems	Specific, observable changes in condition

The Clinical Decision-Making Process

Nursing considerations are a crucial part of the clinical decision-making process. The nurse gathers data from various sources—patient interview, medical records, physical assessment—and synthesizes that information. This synthesis is the consideration phase, where the nurse weighs options and potential outcomes before deciding on the best course of action.

Case Study: The Post-Operative Patient with Pain

Imagine a patient, post-appendectomy, who reports a pain level of 8/10. The nurse's considerations include:

Assessment: Not just the pain score, but its location, character, and effect on the patient's mobility.
Medication: What pain medication is ordered? What is the last dose given?
Holistic View: Could anxiety be contributing to the pain? Is the patient afraid to move?
Interventions: Should the nurse administer the medication? Are there non-pharmacological interventions to try first, like repositioning or using a cold pack?
Re-evaluation: After the intervention, did the pain subside? Was it effective?

This iterative process of consideration is what defines skilled nursing care.

Conclusion: The Indispensable Role of Consideration

Ultimately, every single nursing action is underpinned by a consideration. From the simplest task of fetching a glass of water (considering the patient's ability to swallow) to complex ethical decisions, the nurse's consideration is what personalizes and optimizes care. It is the intangible but indispensable skill that protects patients and fosters positive health outcomes. Understanding the nursing process and its many facets, including these critical considerations, is fundamental to patient advocacy and safe, effective healthcare delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose of a nursing consideration is to guide the nurse's clinical judgment and ensure patient-centered, safe, and effective care. It turns a standard procedure into a personalized intervention.

Nursing considerations are the thought processes and assessments that inform the actions taken by a nurse. Nursing interventions are the actual actions or tasks performed based on those considerations. The consideration precedes the intervention.

No, nursing considerations apply to all aspects of patient care, from the most routine tasks to the most complex cases. Even a seemingly simple task requires a consideration of the patient's individual needs and risks.

Yes, beyond medication, a nurse's consideration might involve assessing whether the patient's cultural background or personal beliefs affect how they express or manage pain, informing the nurse on how best to provide comfort and relief.

Nursing considerations directly impact outcomes by minimizing risks, preventing complications, and ensuring interventions are effective and aligned with the patient's unique needs. This leads to improved recovery, safety, and overall well-being.

Documentation is a critical part of the nursing process, but it is the recording of the consideration and the resulting intervention, not the consideration itself. The consideration is the mental process that happens before and during the action.

Families are often a crucial source of information for nursing considerations, especially for patients with cognitive impairments. A nurse will consider the family's input, but the patient's best interest remains the priority, especially if it involves respecting their autonomy and advance directives.