ADPIE · Nursing Process Acronym

ADPIE is an acronym used to remember the five interrelated steps of the nursing process, which include assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Ensuring all five stages of the nursing process are completed is essential in providing systematic, individualized person-centered dare. 

ADPIE utilizes the fundamental principles of critical thinking, personalized approaches to treatment, goal-oriented tasks, evidence-based practice (EBP), and clinical judgment to provide care for patients across all settings. 

The nursing process is a systematic framework nurses use to ensure all steps are followed when managing different cases and patients. In other words, it demonstrates the procedures a nurse follows to provide holistic and patient-focused care. 

For example, an aging population increases care complexity as patients often have multiple comorbidities. The nursing process allows a common management path despite the complexity of a patient’s case.   

The D in ADPIE stands for diagnosis. Formulating a nursing diagnosis through clinical judgment assists in planning subsequent steps in patient care. According to the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association-International (NANDA-I), a nursing diagnosis is a clinical judgment about actual or potential health problems. For example, urinary retention and disturbed sleep patterns are diagnoses made during the nursing process. 

A nursing diagnosis helps prioritize care and is often informed by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy is based on the fundamental needs of all individuals and often viewed as a pyramid. Basic physiological and safety needs must be met before love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs can be achieved. While Maslow’s framework is commonly taught and utilized, it is not a formal component of NANDA-I taxonomy. Once this hierarchy of needs for the patient is assessed, the nursing diagnosis can be made and prioritized effectively.