Documentation

FOCUS Format, Strengths and Weaknesses
 

Strengths

Noted strengths of the FOCUS Charting documentation format include the following:

  • Progress notes are structured.
  • It promotes the use of the nursing process and stresses the evaluation component.
  • It’s easy to track a particular problem.
  • It promotes analytical thinking.
  • It works in most clinical areas.
  • It encourages addressing the patient’s concerns, not just the problems.
  • It can address health promotion and wellness.
  • The structure is flexible.
  • It’s easy for others to understand.
  • The language and process are uncomplicated.
  • It’s not restricted by a problem list.
  • The format can be automated.
  • It can be used in multidisciplinary charting.
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    Weaknesses
     

    Noted weaknesses of the FOCUS Charting documentation format include the following:

    • It changes the nurse’s thinking patterns to concentrate on identifying a focus/focuses and which data relates to that focus. This is a short-term weakness until the nurse adjusts to this format.
    • It requires monitoring to ensure that practitioners follow up on responses.
    • Some difficulty is evident in categorizing data and identifying responses.
    • Terminology may be inconsistent between the FOCUS column and the way the information is noted in the care plan, or from one note to the next.
    • Progress notes may evolve into narrative format.

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