A Nursing Process Approach to Malignant Melanoma

Nursing Process Approach to Malignant Melanoma

To fully comprehend the concept of the nursing process, one must first understanding what nursing is and the history of nursing. Nursing has evolved over the years from a basic system of care to a well-developed professional system in which special ways of think are applied in order to efficiently maximums patient care. The base of nursing is patient care, thus the nursing process is the foundation for nursing practice and key to ensuring the needs of the patient are met.

History

What is nursing? Florence Nightingale, first nursing theorist, defined nursing as having “charge of the personal health of somebody … and what nursing has to do … is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him” (Nightingale, 1946, p.6). The philosophy of nursing since then has been restated and refined; however the essence of what nursing is has stayed the same. The 2003 edition of ANA’s Nursing’s Social Policy is the most current definition of nursing that reflects the evolution of professional nursing. It defines nursing as:

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 (ANA, 2003).

In theory and practice, the focus of nurses is on the response of the individual and the family to actual or potential health problems. To evaluate patient care steps has to be taking that incorporates the collection of data and processing that data through critical thinking. The nursing process is essential because it incorporates this concept into a well throughout steps ...

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