Which statement best defines a long-term goal in nursing planning?

Which statement best defines a long-term goal in nursing planning?

• A. An objective behavior or response you expect the client to achieve in a longer period of time, possibly over several days, weeks, or months.
• B. Within 24 hours
• C. A measurable outcome for the next hour
• D. A plan for staff assignments

Answer: (B)

Long-term goals describe the outcome you expect the patient to achieve over an extended period, such as several days, weeks, or months. They focus on a patient’s observable behavior or response and guide the overall direction of the care plan toward a lasting change. Short-term goals, by contrast, are time-limited milestones that you expect to meet in a much shorter period (hours to a few days) and they serve as stepping stones toward the long-term goal. Describing something to be achieved within 24 hours or in the next hour fits a short-term horizon, not a long-term one. A plan for staff assignments isn’t an outcome about the patient but a care-delivery activity. So the statement that frames the outcome over a longer period best defines a long-term goal.

Long-term goals describe the outcome you expect the patient to achieve over an extended period, such as several days, weeks, or months. They focus on a patient’s observable behavior or response and guide the overall direction of the care plan toward a lasting change. Short-term goals, by contrast, are time-limited milestones that you expect to meet in a much shorter period (hours to a few days) and they serve as stepping stones toward the long-term goal. Describing something to be achieved within 24 hours or in the next hour fits a short-term horizon, not a long-term one. A plan for staff assignments isn’t an outcome about the patient but a care-delivery activity. So the statement that frames the outcome over a longer period best defines a long-term goal.