Which part of the nursing process is where the nurse assesses the effectiveness of the medication?

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

Answer: (B)

Evaluation is the stage where you determine if the medication produced the intended therapeutic effect and whether any adverse effects occurred. After administering the drug, you monitor the patient, compare actual outcomes to the expected goals (such as symptom relief, vital sign changes, or lab value improvements), and use what you observe to decide the next steps—continue as planned, adjust the dose or regimen, or discontinue if needed. In pharmacology, this means tracking both effectiveness and safety: symptom changes, objective measurements, and any side effects or interactions. By continually evaluating, the nurse verifies whether the treatment is working and ensures patient safety, which is the核心 of determining the success of the medication therapy.