Nursing notes record the patient’s status, the care provided, meaningful communication, and the result. A clear note lets the next clinician quickly understand what happened, what was done, and what still needs attention.
To write a nursing note, record the relevant patient report and assessment, care provided, clinically significant communication, and response in chronological order. The aim is not to produce the longest note, but a clear, accurate record of the care actually delivered in the format your organization requires.
Important: The fictional examples below teach documentation principles; they are not charting instructions, a substitute for assessment, or a replacement for local policy, approved terminology, scope of practice, and escalation procedures. Document the care you personally provide and follow the requirements of your setting and health record.
On This Page
- Nursing notes example
- How to write nursing notes
- Objective vs. subjective documentation
- What nursing notes should include
- Nursing note formats
- More nursing notes examples
- Late entries, addenda, and corrections
- Common documentation mistakes
- FAQs
Nursing Notes Examples: At a Glance
Fictional nursing assessment note
1435: Patient reports new shortness of breath while walking from bathroom to bed. Speaking in short phrases; respirations 24/min, SpO₂ 90% on prescribed 2 L/min nasal cannula. Assisted to upright position.
Why this works: It separates the patient’s report from observable findings, records the immediate nursing action, and establishes when the change occurred. It does not guess at a cause or diagnosis.
What Are Nursing Notes?
Nursing notes support continuity, clinical decision-making, and patient-centred care. They reflect the nursing process—assess, plan, implement, evaluate—and should connect a relevant finding to care and response. Routine data may belong in structured fields; use a progress note when the record needs context a checkbox cannot provide, such as a meaningful change, preference, communication, or outcome.
How to Write Nursing Notes: Five Core Principles
Before choosing a format or writing a progress note, apply these five principles:
- Record facts, not labels. Attribute what the patient says and describe what you observe, measure, and do.
- Chart in time order. Document as close to the event as reasonably possible; make an actual event time clear when it matters.
- Connect the care sequence. Record the relevant assessment, intervention, communication, and response.
- Keep it patient-specific. Verify every entry reflects the current patient, situation, and assessment—never rely on unreviewed copied text.
- Follow local requirements. Use your organization’s designated record, approved abbreviations, escalation process, and correction workflow.
Objective vs. Subjective Nursing Documentation
Both kinds of information belong in a nursing note. The difference is about attribution.
Subjective information is what the patient or another source reports. Attribute it clearly: “Patient states…” or “Daughter reports…” Exact words can be useful when wording affects care, a decision, or safety.
Objective information is what you observe, measure, assess, or do. Use observable facts: time, vital signs, appearance, behavior, location, amount, and response. Describe rather than label.
| Less useful | Clearer, more objective documentation |
|---|---|
| “Patient is noncompliant.” | “Patient declined 0900 medication, stating, ‘It makes me dizzy.’ Education provided; prescriber notified.” |
| “Patient was rude.” | “Patient raised voice, stated, ‘Leave me alone,’ and declined assessment at this time.” |
| “Patient seems confused.” | “Patient stated name correctly but stated the year was 2019; repeated question twice during conversation.” |
| “Wound looks bad.” | “Drainage noted on dressing: approximately 2 cm area of yellow drainage; surrounding skin warm and erythematous.” |
| “Patient is in a lot of pain.” | “Patient reports incisional pain 8/10; guarding noted with repositioning.” |
The clearer versions separate the patient’s own words from observations, avoid guessing at motive or diagnosis, and retain only details relevant to care.
Timely and Chronological Nursing Documentation
Document as close to the event as reasonably possible after care is provided; in an urgent situation, care comes first. Record events in order, including the event time when a change, intervention, communication, or follow-up assessment makes it relevant. If documentation is delayed, use the approved late-entry process and make the actual care time clear—never pre-chart or imply an entry was contemporaneous when it was not.
What Should Nursing Notes Include?
There is no single universal nursing-note format. Your unit may use flowsheets, narrative notes, SOAP, focus charting, charting by exception, or a combination. Whatever the format, use this practical sequence:
- Context and assessment: What prompted the note? What did the patient report? What did you observe or measure?
- Action: What nursing care, education, safety measure, or escalation occurred?
- Communication: Who was notified, how, when, what was communicated, and what direction or response was received?
- Evaluation and plan: How did the patient respond? What is the current status and what follow-up is in place?
Record what is clinically relevant and required by your organization. A provider notification should identify the provider and response; routine care may belong in its designated flowsheet unless there is a meaningful variation or outcome.
Nursing Note Formats: Narrative, DAR, SOAPIE, and SOAP
The format is a way to organize facts, not a replacement for clinical judgment or your organization’s documentation policy.
| Format | Best understood as |
|---|---|
| Narrative note | A chronological account of the relevant event, assessment, actions, and outcome. |
| DAR (focus charting) | Data, Action, Response—a concise way to connect findings with care and evaluation. |
| SOAPIE | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan, Intervention, Evaluation. |
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan; commonly used for problem-oriented documentation. |
Use the format required in your setting; do not duplicate structured charting unless context is needed for safe continuity.
More Nursing Notes and Charting Examples
All patient details, names, times, and situations below are invented.
Nursing intervention and provider-notification example
Fictional example
1440: Repeat assessment: SpO₂ 91% on 2 L/min nasal cannula; respirations 22/min. Charge nurse at bedside. Dr. Patel notified by phone using SBAR at 1443; reported new dyspnea with ambulation, assessment findings, and current oxygen setting. Dr. Patel ordered chest x-ray and to increase oxygen to 3 L/min nasal cannula. Order read back and confirmed. Oxygen adjusted as ordered.
Why this works: It links the repeated assessment to the escalation. It names the person contacted, the method and time, the clinically relevant content, the direction received, and the action taken. “Provider aware” would not convey the same information.
Nursing note response example
Fictional example
1510: Following oxygen adjustment, patient resting in bed with head elevated. SpO₂ 95% on 3 L/min nasal cannula; respirations 18/min. Patient states, “Breathing feels easier.” Awaiting chest x-ray.
Why this works: Response is evaluated with both measured and patient-reported information. The note makes the current status and outstanding step visible without assuming the underlying problem is resolved.
Nursing note example: patient declines care
Fictional example
0905: Patient declined scheduled injection, stating, “My arm was swollen for days after the last one.” Questions invited; patient’s concern discussed. Injection site assessed: skin intact, no redness or swelling observed. Dr. Rivera notified at 0920. Patient chose to defer injection pending discussion with prescriber; safety plan reviewed.
Why this works: “Declined” is factual and respects the patient’s choice. The note preserves the patient’s reason in their own words, shows relevant assessment and education, identifies communication, and describes the resulting plan.
Nursing note example: behavior affects care
Fictional example
1815: During attempt to obtain vital signs, patient raised voice and stated, “Do not touch me.” Patient moved right arm away from blood-pressure cuff and declined vital-sign assessment. Explained purpose of assessment and offered to return in 15 minutes. Patient stated agreement. Charge nurse notified.
Why this works: The behavior is described only because it affected care. The short quote preserves a material statement without editorializing. The note shows the offered alternative and communication.
Late Entries, Addenda, and Corrections in Nursing Notes
The record should preserve a transparent trail. Never delete, conceal, overwrite, backdate, or alter an original record outside the approved process.
- Correction: If an entry is inaccurate, follow the electronic health record’s correction function or your organization’s paper-record policy. The original should remain visible or traceable, with the correction identified, dated, timed, and attributable to the person making it.
- Addendum: Use an addendum when you are adding relevant information to a signed entry. It should be new, dated and timed information—not a disguised rewrite of the original note.
- Late entry: If documentation was delayed, identify it as a late entry according to local policy, document when the care actually occurred, and enter it as soon as possible. Do not change the event time to make it appear contemporaneous.
Fictional late-entry example
Late entry, documented 1630: Assessment and care provided at 1515. Patient reported nausea 6/10; emesis basin provided. Ondansetron administered as prescribed at 1520. At 1545, patient reported nausea 2/10 and tolerated sips of water.
The value here is transparency: it distinguishes the documentation time from the care time and retains the chronology.
Common Nursing Documentation Mistakes to Avoid
- Charting assumptions or diagnoses rather than facts. Describe the symptom, observation, or patient statement; document a diagnosis only within the appropriate clinical context and scope.
- Using vague language. “Doing well,” “stable,” “provider aware,” and “continue to monitor” may be meaningful only when paired with specific information or an established plan.
- Leaving out the response. An intervention alone does not show whether the patient improved, declined, tolerated it, or needs more action.
- Breaking the communication chain. Record the relevant person, role, time, method, information communicated, direction received, and follow-up when communication affects care.
- Copying forward without verification. Repeated boilerplate can conceal a change and create an inaccurate record. Verify every entry reflects the current assessment and care.
- Duplicating documentation. Use the designated flowsheet or record location where possible. Add a narrative note when it provides clinically meaningful context, variation, or evaluation.
- Using unapproved abbreviations. Meanings differ across settings and can cause harm. Use only your organization’s approved abbreviations and terminology.
- Pre-charting or altering the record later. Use the approved late-entry, addendum, or correction process instead.
- Including irrelevant judgments or private details. Record only information needed for care or required reporting.
Nursing Notes FAQs
How much should a nursing note include?
Enough to create a clear, accurate picture of the patient’s status, the care delivered, significant communication, and the outcome. The required amount varies by patient acuity, setting, local policy, and the record design. More words are not automatically better; relevant, individualized information is.
What is the difference between nursing notes and nursing progress notes?
The terms are often used interchangeably. In many records, a nursing progress note is the narrative entry that explains a meaningful event, change, intervention, or response over time. Requirements and naming vary by organization, so use the note type and documentation location specified by your local policy.
Is “patient refused” acceptable?
Language and policy vary, but “declined” often states the fact more neutrally. More important than the verb is documenting the patient’s stated reason when relevant, your assessment and education, the communication or escalation required, and the resulting plan. Avoid attributing motive.
When should I write a progress note instead of using a flowsheet?
Use the designated documentation area required by your organization. A progress note can add value when a meaningful change, event, preference, communication, intervention, or response needs narrative context that the flowsheet cannot carry. Avoid duplicating information already documented elsewhere unless policy requires it or the context is necessary for safe continuity.
Do I need to document a call or message to the provider?
When the communication affects care, document it according to policy: who was contacted, their role, when and how they were contacted, the relevant information shared, the response or orders received, and the action or follow-up. SBAR can help structure the clinical communication; the record should still show the facts and outcome.
Can I correct a nursing note after signing it?
Yes—through the approved correction or addendum process. Never silently change, delete, conceal, or backdate an entry. Your EHR and organization’s record policy determine the exact method.
Can AI write my nursing notes?
Only use approved tools and workflows, and never treat a draft as the record. The nurse remains accountable for verifying that every entry is accurate, complete, patient-specific, secure, and compliant with organizational policy. A system can assist with documentation; it cannot replace clinical judgment or the clinician’s responsibility for the final note.
How to Write Better Nursing Notes: The Bottom Line
A strong nursing note helps the care team understand what mattered in the patient’s care: the observed or reported situation, the action taken, the communication that occurred, and the patient’s response. Keep it timely, factual, respectful, and patient-specific. Then use your organization’s documentation standards, nursing documentation workflow, and medical charting requirements to decide where and how to record it.
For terminology support, consult your organization’s approved list of nursing abbreviations rather than relying on informal shorthand.
Editorial sources
- British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives: Documentation in nursing practice
- Documentation in Nursing: 1st Canadian edition — Principles of Documentation
- NHS England: Towards a unified vision of nursing and midwifery documentation
- Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne: Nursing Documentation Principles