Which of the following is NOT a component of the nursing process?

• A. Assessment
• B. Diagnosis
• C. Planning
• D. Documentation

Answer: (D)

The nursing process is a structured, patient-centered approach consisting of five core steps: assessing the patient to gather data, analyzing data to identify problems (nursing diagnoses), planning care to achieve specific goals, implementing the planned interventions, and evaluating the patient’s responses to care. Documentation, while essential in nursing, is a record-keeping activity that supports and records what happens at each step. It runs throughout all phases, capturing assessment findings, planning decisions, actions taken, and evaluation results, but it is not itself one of the five steps. That’s why documentation is not considered a component of the nursing process, whereas assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation are.