Health assessment helps to identify the medical need of patients.

• Comprehensive nursing assessment including patient history, general appearance, physical examination and vital signs. Shift Assessment: Concise nursing assessment completed at the commencement of each shift or if patient condition changes at any other time.
• Intensive care is appropriate for patients requiring or likely to require advanced respiratory support, patients requiring support of two or more organ systems, and patients with chronic impairment of one or more organ systems who also require support for an acute reversible failure of another organ.
• The nursing assessment includes gathering information concerning the patient’s individual physiological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual needs. It is the first step in the successful evaluation of a patient. Subjective and objective data collection are an integral part of this process. Part of the assessment includes data collection by obtaining vital signs such as temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and pain level using an age or condition appropriate pain scale.