The guidelines for nursing documentation include the following.

First, timely documentation is critical to ensure continuity of care. Any delays in recording or reporting can result in medical errors.

Documenting vital signs, diagnostic tests, medication administration, changes in a patient's condition, admissions, transfers, patient discharge summaries, and all other relevant information at the time of occurrence is essential.

Most agencies use military time, a 24-hour time cycle, to avoid confusion between AM. and PM.

Second, the document must be concise, clear, logically organized, and to the point.

Furthermore, when entering data into the healthcare record, the nurses must consider the situation and decide what information and words to include.

Consider an example of a patient experiencing pain. Well-organized documentation describes the assessment of pain, the nursing diagnosis for pain management, the plan of treatment to reduce the pain, implementation of the treatment plan, and evaluation of the patient's response to treatment.

Lastly, a well-written medical record or report should be complete, include all the necessary information, and follow the organization's predetermined criteria and standards.