Which nursing model has a nurse accountable for planning, evaluating, and directing the care of a patient 24/7 throughout the stay?

• A. Functional nursing model
• B. Primary Nursing Model
• C. Team Nursing
• D. Case Management

Answer: (B)

The main idea is continuous, single-nurse accountability for a patient’s plan of care across the entire stay. In the Primary Nursing Model, one nurse is responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating the patient’s care from admission through discharge. This nurse develops the care plan with the patient and family, directs other staff to carry out tasks, and maintains oversight of progress, ensuring consistency and a holistic approach even as shifts change. Other models spread responsibility differently: for example, tasks are assigned to various staff in the Functional Nursing approach, which can fragment care and dilute one nurse’s accountability; Team Nursing uses a team with a leader, distributing responsibility rather than centering it on a single nurse; and Case Management focuses on coordinating care across settings, emphasizing discharge planning and resource management rather than 24/7 one-nurse accountability for the entire stay.