A nurse is using the focus charting method to document care for a client who has diabetes mellitus.

Which of the following terms should the nurse use to begin each entry?

Home health certification and plan of treatment.This is the record that the nurse uses to certify that the client meets Medicare eligibility criteria and to outline the services to be provided.A home health certification and plan of treatment is a document that contains the physician’s or allowed practitioner’s orders for home health services, the patient’s diagnosis, the patient’s functional limitations, the type and amount of services needed, and the expected duration of care.

Choice B is wrong becauseOutcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS)is a standardized assessment tool that HHAs use to collect data on adult patients receiving skilled services.

OASIS is not used to certify eligibility or plan treatment.

Choice C is wrong becauseHome care flow sheetis a form that HHAs use to document the daily care provided by nurses and home health aides.

A home care flow sheet does not certify eligibility or plan treatment.

Choice D is wrong becauseHome care progress noteis a form that HHAs use to document the patient’s progress toward the goals of care, any changes in the plan of care, and any communication with other health care providers.

A home care progress note does not certify eligibility or plan treatment.

Focus.

Focus charting is a method of organizing health information in an individual’s record using nursing terminology to describe the individual’s health status and nursing actions.The focus of each entry can be a nursing diagnosis, a sign or symptom, an acute change in condition, a significant event, or a key word indicating compliance with a standard of care.

The focus charting method uses three columns: date and hour, focus, and progress notes.The progress notes are organized into data, action, and response, referred to as DAR.

Choice A is wrong because data is not the term used to begin each entry, but rather the category that describes the subjective and/or objective information supporting the stated focus.Choice B is wrong because problem is not the term used to begin each entry, but rather the nursing diagnosis or collaborative problem on the plan of care.Choice D is wrong because assessment is not the term used to begin each entry, but rather the phase of the nursing process that involves collecting data.