Which term corresponds to the definition: 'Identified patient problems'?

• A. Outcomes
• B. Goals
• C. Hypotheses
• D. Interventions

Answer: (C)

In clinical judgement, the identified patient problems are best described as hypotheses. These are educated, testable statements about what the patient’s problems might be based on cues, patterns, and assessment data. They aren’t final diagnoses or the planned actions; instead, they guide further data collection and analysis to confirm or refute what the patient’s problems are. Once the data support a problem, it can be refined into a nursing diagnosis and addressed with specific interventions.

Outcomes and goals refer to the desired end results you aim to achieve with care, while interventions are the actions you take to reach those outcomes. So the term that captures “identified patient problems” as provisional, testable statements is hypotheses.