When should a nurse reassess a patient's care plan?

Reassessing a patient's care plan is crucial for delivering effective and responsive care, as it ensures that the plan remains aligned with the patient's evolving needs. A nurse should reassess the care plan whenever there is a change in the patient's condition, whether that change is significant or subtle, as well as at predetermined regular intervals.

This continuous evaluation allows the nurse to identify new problems, modify goals, and adjust interventions as necessary to respond to the patient's status. For instance, if a patient's vital signs indicate a decline in health, or if they report new symptoms, it would prompt a reassessment to determine if the current interventions are still appropriate or if a new approach is needed.

Moreover, reassessing the care plan at regular intervals—such as daily or weekly—ensures that all aspects of the patient's care are routinely evaluated, leading to improved outcomes and patient safety. This approach is in contrast to other options, which suggest less frequent assessments, like only at discharge, once at the beginning of treatment, or solely at the end of each shift, and do not effectively capture the dynamic changes in a patient's condition.