Nurses of the future need to accurately assess people of all ages, with varying mental and physical problems, across different settings and within a changing healthcare environment. This book introduces nursing students and novice practitioners to different stages of the assessment process. It covers a range of issues including the nurse's role in assessment, how to make sense of patient information, using assessment tools, nursing diagnosis, care planning principles and nursing models, ethical dilemmas in assessment and decision-making in delivering nursing care. The book encourages the development of a person-centered, critical approach rather than an overreliance on assessment tools.