When should a nurse intervene in a patient’s plan of care?

A nurse should intervene in a patient's plan of care when the patient's condition changes or does not improve as expected because the primary responsibility of the nurse is to monitor the patient's health status and respond appropriately to any changes. If a patient's condition deteriorates or fails to progress as anticipated, it indicates that the initial plan of care may need to be adjusted to ensure the patient receives the most effective treatment. This proactive approach is crucial in preventing complications and promoting optimal outcomes.

Intervention based on significant changes in the patient's condition allows the nurse to advocate for the patient, utilizing clinical judgment to determine the necessary adjustments to care. This may include collaborating with the healthcare team to modify interventions, assessing the patient more thoroughly, or initiating further diagnostic testing as required.

The other options, while they may have their own contexts for involvement, do not capture the immediacy and necessity of responding to the patient's changing health status. For example, consulting with a physician is indeed important but can delay necessary interventions if the nurse waits for that consultation before acting on a change in the patient's condition. Intervening at the beginning of every shift disregards the patient's current status and could lead to unnecessary or irrelevant actions. Additionally, while family input is valuable, the nurse's clinical assessment and critical