Fundamentals of Nursing, 10th Edition

Learn the concepts and skills you need to provide excellent nursing care! Fundamentals of Nursing, 10th Edition prepares you to succeed as a nurse by providing a solid foundation in critical thinking, clinical reasoning, nursing theory, evidence-based practice, and patient-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, 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 reasoning you need to succeed in the classroom and in your career.

New to this Edition

• NEW content includes topics such as gun violence, patient safety, the opioid epidemic, and device addiction. 

• NEW! Guidelines for the effective use of health screening cover physical and mental issues across all patient age groups from pediatric to geriatric.

• NEW! Reflective Learning helps you use clinical reasoning to think about your clinical and simulation experiences.

• NEW! Reflect Now boxes guide you through a thoughtful consideration of a recent clinical experience. 

• NEW! Teach Back is incorporated into the Evaluation section in patient teaching boxes, reinforcing this vital communication technique.

• NEW! Over 100 new photos clarify procedures and familiarize you with the latest clinical equipment.

• NEW! Caring for Patients with Chronic Illness chapter helps you address the unique health care needs of patients who deal with chronic illness.

• NEW! Interprofessional collaboration and cooperation receive more emphasis.

• NEW objectives are clearly and precisely tied to content, making it easier to find relevant information. 

Key Features

• Review questions in every chapter test your retention of key concepts, with answers and rationales in the book and on the Evolve companion website; at least four of these questions are alternate format.

• UNIQUE! Building Competency boxes summarize QSEN competencies, each with a clinical situation followed by several open-ended questions designed to help you understand and apply these core competencies. 

• Delegation Considerations clarify which nursing tasks can and cannot be delegated. 

• Evidence-Based Practice chapter shows how nursing research helps in determining best practices.

• UPDATED Evidence-Based Practice boxes in every chapter include a PICO question - the Problem, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome - and summarize a research study along with its application to nursing practice.

• Over 50 nursing skills include illustrated, step-by-step instructions in a two-column format - with rationales for each step.

• Unexpected Outcomes and Related Interventions for each skill alert you to possible complications and appropriate nursing actions.

• Over 30 procedural guidelines provide streamlined, step-by-step instructions for performing basic skills.

• UNIQUE! Critical Thinking Models in each clinical chapter show how to apply the nursing process and critical thinking to make clinical decisions.

• 50 in-text case studies include clinical application questions and exercises, allowing you to practice using care plans and concept maps.

• UPDATED 1,100-question test bank includes multiple-choice and alternate item questions at all difficulty levels.

• Focus on safety and quality in the Patient Safety and Quality chapter shows how these concepts apply to nursing practice, and includes a skill on fall prevention in healthcare settings.

• Nursing Assessment Questions boxes help you learn to effectively phrase questions for patients.

• Cultural Aspects of Care boxes summarize cultural considerations and provide practical guidelines on meeting patients' cultural needs and preferences.

• Patient Teaching boxes promote effective patient education by first identifying outcomes, then developing strategies on how to teach and evaluate compliance.

• Focus on Older Adult boxes highlight key aspects of nursing assessment and care of elderly adults.

• Planning sections help you plan and prioritize comprehensive patient care, with coverage of Goals and Outcomes, Setting Priorities, and Teamwork and Collaboration.

• Practical study tools on the Evolve companion website include video clips of nursing skills, skills checklists, a fluid & electrolytes tutorial, a concept map creator, printable key points, answers to the questions in the book, an audio glossary, and more. 

Author Information

By Patricia A. Potter, RN, MSN, PhD, FAAN, Director of Research, Patient Care Services Barnes-Jewish Hospital St. Louis, MO ; Anne Griffin Perry, RN, EdD, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Nursing, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL; Patricia Stockert, RN, BSN, MS, PhD, President of the College, Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing, Peoria, IL and Amy Hall, RN, BSN, MS, PhD, CNE, Professor and Dean, School of Nursing, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

​* Table of Contents 

Unit 1: Nursing and the Health Care Environment 

1. Nursing Today 

2. Health Care Delivery System 

3. Community-Based Nursing Practice 

4. Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice 

5. Evidence-Based Practice 

Unit 2: Caring Throughout the Life Span 

6. Health and Wellness 

7. Caring in Nursing Practice 

8. Caring for Patients with Chronic Illness  NEW! 

9. Cultural Competence 

10. Family Dynamics 

11. Developmental Theories 

12. Conception Through Adolescence 

13. Young and Middle Adults 

14. Older Adults 

Unit 3: Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice 

15. Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice 

16. Nursing Assessment 

17. Nursing Diagnosis 

18. Planning Nursing Care 

19. Implementing Nursing Care 

20. Evaluation 

21. Managing Patient Care 

Unit 4: Professional Standards in Nursing Practice 

22. Ethics and Values 

23. Legal Implications in Nursing Practice 

24. Communication

25. Patient Education 

26. Informatics and Documentation 

Unit 5: Foundations for Nursing Practice 

27. Patient Safety and Quality 

28. Infection Prevention and Control 

29. Vital Signs 

30. Health Assessment and Physical Examination 

31. Medication Administration 

32. Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Therapies 

Unit 6: Psychosocial Basis for Nursing Practice 

33. Self-Concept 

34. Sexuality 

35. Spiritual Health 

36. Loss and Grief 

37. Stress and Coping 

Unit 7: Physiological Basis for Nursing Practice 

38. Activity and Exercise 

39. Immobility 

40. Hygiene 

41. Oxygenation 

42. Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance

43. Sleep 

44. Pain Management 

45. Nutrition 

46. Urinary Elimination

47. Bowel Elimination

48. Skin Integrity and Wound Care

49. Sensory Alterations