The nursing process goes through several stages where the nursing assessment is the first stage. This stage will identify the nursing problems of a patient which can be actual or present or classified as potential. An example of a potential nursing problem is when someone who was involved in a traffic accident is rendered immobile.
The potential exists for the patient to suffer impaired skin integrity because of the skin’s constant contact with the beddings. The nurse makes a nursing assessment of all the needs of a particular patient completely, as part of his or her duty.