A male patient has just returned from surgery. The nurse is taking vital signs, checking his incision site and determining if he is in pain. What step of the nursing process is the nurse using?

• A. Assessment
• B. Planning
• C. Intervention
• D. Evaluation

Answer: (A)

Collecting current information about the patient's status is what assessment is all about. After surgery, the nurse gathers data by taking vital signs, inspecting the incision, and evaluating pain to understand how the patient is recovering. This data collection establishes a baseline and helps detect any changes or problems that may need intervention. Planning would involve setting goals and choosing actions, intervention is carrying out those actions, and evaluation checks whether outcomes were achieved. Since the nurse is focused on obtaining the patient’s current status rather than planning, implementing, or evaluating care, this step is assessment.