Fundamentals of Nursing

**Selected for 2026 Doody's Core Titles as an Essential Purchase in Fundamentals**

Learn the concepts and skills and develop the clinical judgment you need to provide excellent nursing care! Fundamentals of Nursing, 12th Edition prepares you to succeed as a nurse by providing a solid foundation in critical thinking, clinical judgment, nursing theory, evidence-based practice, and person-centered care in all settings. With illustrated, step-by-step guidelines, this book makes it easy to learn important skills and procedures. Care plans are presented within a nursing process framework that is coordinated with clinical judgement, and case studies show how to apply concepts to nursing practice. From an expert author team led by Patricia Potter and Anne Perry, this bestselling nursing textbook helps you develop the understanding and clinical judgment you need to succeed in the classroom and in your career.

UPDATED! Content reflects the latest evidence-based practice, including the most current information on infection control standards, oxygenation, technology in health care, and more
UPDATED! More than 80 new photos and images present updated skills and represent the diversity of nurses and patients throughout
UNIQUE! Critical Thinking section incorporates clinical judgment and critical thinking to help you develop these valuable skills. The unique critical thinking/clinical judgment model is visually depicted by a series of progressive images that demonstrate the application of the nursing process, critical thinking, and clinical judgment - and how they all tie together
UNIQUE! Reflective Learning questions in every clinical chapter are associated with each of the six clinical judgment skills and coordinate directly with the case study presented in the care plan
UNIQUE! Building Competency boxes in every chapter incorporate nursing competencies, e.g., person-centered care, safety, and evidence-based practice. Each box presents a clinical situation followed by several open-ended questions designed to help you understand and apply these core competencies
UNIQUE! Caring for Patients with Chronic Illness chapter helps prepare you to address the unique health care needs of patients who have complex, long-term, chronic disease, who face the physical and emotional impacts of the illness, and the therapies used to treat it
Evidence-Based Practice boxes reflect current research and include a PICOT question, a summary of the results of a research study, and the impact the study has made in nursing practice. Where applicable, these EBP boxes will focus on "Never Events" (those events that are completely preventable, dangerous to patients, and non-reimbursable) and new related research
Case studies in all clinical chapters tie together the care plan, concept map, and reflective learning exercises
Clear delegation coverage notes which skills can and cannot be delegated and indicate exactly which tasks to delegate. Many chapters incorporate delegation considerations into the chapter case study and there is also a delegation section in every skill and procedural guideline
Planning and Outcomes Identification sections include sections on Outcomes, Setting Priorities, and Teamwork and Collaboration to help you plan and prioritize comprehensive patient care
Teamwork and Collaboration headings highlight information to help you work effectively both within the nursing team and within the larger healthcare team, allowing you to make the best use of available healthcare resources to improve patient care
Implementation sections include health promotion, acute care, and restorative and continuing care to prepare you for all levels of care in all settings
Patient Teaching boxes help you plan effective teaching by first identifying an outcome, then developing strategies on how to teach, and finally implementing measures to evaluate learning
Focus on Older Adult boxes highlight key aspects of nursing assessment and care for this population
Cultural Care boxes summarize cultural considerations related to the chapter topic and provide practical guidelines for how to meet patients' cultural needs and preferences
Nursing Assessment Questions boxes help you learn to effectively phrase questions for patients
More than 50 skills are generously illustrated in a two-column format that includes rationales for each step alongside clear, step-by-step instructions for providing safe nursing care. Rationales cite current evidence-based research
Key terms at the beginning of each chapter help you learn the most important terminology for that area of content
Five review questions for each chapter include answers both in the book and on the Evolve companion website (with rationales)
Unexpected Outcomes and Related Interventions for skills alert you to possible problems and appropriate nursing action.
More than 30 procedural guidelines provide streamlined, step-by-step instructions for performing very basic skills
A consistent five-step nursing process framework for clinical chapters coordinates completely with the accompanying clinical judgment skills used for each step
More than 20 concept maps visually demonstrate planning care for patients with multiple nursing diagnoses
NOC outcomes, NIC interventions, and nursing diagnoses in care plans reflect the standard used by institutions nationwide
More than 20 care plans demonstrate the application of the five-step nursing process to individual patient problems to help you understand how a plan is developed and how to evaluate care. Patients in the care plan extend to the Reflective Learning activities at the end of each clinical chapter
Evidence-Based Practice chapter helps you understand how nursing research serves as the basis for determining best practice, and the critical importance of this continually evolving dynamic
Safe Patient Handling Guidelines are included in the Patient Safety and Quality chapter
Practical study tools on the Evolve companion website include skills video clips, skills checklists, printable key points, answers to the review questions in the book, a fluid & electrolytes tutorial, a concept map creator, an audio glossary, and more
Key points are tied to the chapter objectives and neatly summarize the most important content for each chapter to help you review and evaluate your learning