Innovative approaches in nursing care planning through assessment toolkit

Information for nursing staff, 2026, 58(1),38-44.

M. Balaburova

Department of Therapeutic Nursing Care, Faculty of Health Care, Medical University – Pleven

Abstract. Introduction: The scales for assessing needs and dependence on care are a result of a number of studies and were created for the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals. Their use in nursing practice would lead to increased opportunities for determining individual patient needs, implementing adequate interventions, and objectively assessing the quality of patient care. Aim: The aim of this review is to analyze alternative methods for collecting objective and subjective data through assessment scales in nursing care planning. After studying documents from the available and accessible literature on the structure and organization of health care through assessment tools, it was found that the quality of nursing interventions includes various approaches and tools that correspond to the competencies of nurses for assessment and planning of nursing care in the Republic of Bulgaria described in Regulation No. 1 of 2011. The assessment scales offer accuracy and precision in the provision of health care, as for the purposes of the study, eleven tools are described. Conclusion: The essence of the scales, as well as their application in international practice, provide grounds to initiate their application in Bulgaria as an innovative tool in the field of healthcare.

Key words: rating scales, patient needs, nursing care plan

Address for correspondence: M. Balaburova, e-mail: meglena_balaburov@abv.bg