A charge nurse reviews outcome statements (patient goals) written by a novice nurse. Which patient outcome statement will the charge nurse identify as written accurately?

A. This statement is incomplete because it lacks a specific time frame and a measurable distance or frequency. A well-written outcome must be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timed. Without these components, the nursing team cannot objectively evaluate whether the patient has successfully met the goal or if the plan of care needs to be modified. B. This statement describes a nursing intervention rather than a patient outcome. Outcome statements must focus on the behavior, responses, or status of the patient, not the actions performed by the healthcare provider. Goals are designed to measure the patient's progress toward health, while interventions are the steps the nurse takes to facilitate that progress. C. Similar to the previous choice, this statement incorrectly focuses on the nurse's behavior. Monitoring is a clinical action performed by staff, not a measurable change in the patient's health status. An appropriate patient-centered goal for this scenario might focus on the patient maintaining a stable sinus rhythm or remaining asymptomatic during the duration of the shift. D. This statement is written accurately because it is patient-centered, measurable, and includes a clear time frame ("today"). It specifies the criteria for success (feeding self at all mealtimes) and includes a condition for that success (without shortness of breath). This allows the nursing staff to clearly evaluate the patient's functional status and respiratory tolerance at the end of the day.