Goal vs. Expected Client Outcomes

Bedside_Life RN · Sep 10, 2014

A goal is something nurses decide that is specific to that patient. For example, you would not set a goal for your paraplegic patient to ambulated in the hall three times a day.

how expected client outcomes will come into play is a way to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to meet the reasonable goal, according to their condition.

This is where S.M.A.R.T can be utilized...... S- specific to the patient, M- the goal should be measurable, A- the goal should be attainable, R- the goal should be realistic, and T- the goal should have a timeframe.

Based on S.M.A.R.T you should pick acceptable outcomes that would be "expected" from that patient when looking at them from a holistic stand point.

For example, an expected client outcome for a client with a temporary IUC, that you have set a goal of remaining free of CAUTI, would be that the client would not manifest s/s associated with CAUTI. I will let you figure out what those would be.....

This S.M.A.R.T way of thinking about patient goals and interventions can be used for most of all cases.

It will be later on in your education that your instructor will begin asking you why you set up these things the way you did and they will expect you to begin applying less of the generalized goals and outcomes and incorporate more specific ones.

Basically, by the time you graduate you will be thinking like a "provider" but functioning as a nurse haha.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2014

I was going to rewrite this....but I found a helpful thread about goals and outcomes....take a look I think it will be very helpful.

https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/desired-outcomes-goals-103342.html

randa77 · Sep 15, 2014

Thank you both! Esme12 that thread really helped!