Which step belongs to the evaluation component of the nursing process?

• A. Compare actual outcomes with expected outcomes
• B. Identify health problems and risks
• C. Draft a new diagnostic statement
• D. Organize patient data

Answer: (A)

Evaluation focuses on determining whether patient outcomes were achieved by comparing actual results with the established expected outcomes. This comparison shows whether goals were met, partially met, or not met and guides whether the plan should be continued, revised, or discontinued. For example, if the goal was to ambulate a certain distance with assistance by the end of the shift, evaluation assesses what was actually achieved and informs any changes to the care plan. The other options relate to different steps: identifying health problems and risks is part of the diagnostic process, drafting a new diagnostic statement also involves diagnosis, and organizing patient data is part of the assessment and data collection phase.