Which description best defines major nursing outcomes?

• A. The financial yield of care
• B. Beneficial results that address patient problems and needs
• C. Nurse job satisfaction metrics
• D. Hospital occupancy rates

Answer: (B)

Outcomes in nursing focus on changes in a patient’s health status that result from the care provided, reflecting progress toward addressing the patient’s problems and needs. The best description is the one that states these outcomes are beneficial results addressing patient problems and needs, because it centers on how nursing interventions improve the patient’s health, symptoms, functional status, safety, or quality of life. It implies measurable, patient-centered changes rather than organizational metrics. The other options describe financial gain, staff satisfaction, or hospital metrics, which are not about the patient’s health changes produced by nursing care.