HLTENN043 – Case Study: Care for a Person with an Acute Health Condition (TAFE Queensland-Style 2026 Task)

Assessment Task: Case Study – Implement and Monitor Care for an Acute Health Condition

Unit and Qualification

Unit code and name: HLTENN043 Implement and monitor care for a person with acute health conditions
Qualification: HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing – TAFE Queensland
Assessment type: Written case study (theory)
Length: 1,500–2,000 words
Assessment conditions: Individual work, open-book, submitted via Connect

Case Study Context

You are an Enrolled Nurse working in a hospital ward or community health setting under the supervision and direction of a Registered Nurse. A person presents with an acute health condition such as acute asthma exacerbation, ischaemic stroke, acute heart failure, or sepsis and requires comprehensive assessment, a prioritised nursing care plan, culturally safe implementation of care and ongoing evaluation. You are required to demonstrate clinical reasoning consistent with the HLTENN043 performance criteria when caring for this person.

Your responses must reflect the Enrolled Nurse scope of practice, including accountability to the supervising Registered Nurse and adherence to organisational policies and procedures.

Part 1: Case Study Assessment

Task 1 – Comprehensive Nursing Assessment (Approx. 500–600 Words)

Read the case study scenario provided by your trainer or assessor. In the template supplied:

Identify the person’s acute health condition and describe the key signs and symptoms supporting this diagnosis.
Explain the underlying pathophysiology and common aetiology of this condition in clear and concise terms.
Identify at least three actual or potential nursing problems related to the acute condition, for example compromised airway, impaired gas exchange, risk of aspiration, ineffective tissue perfusion, acute pain, or anxiety.
Describe at least two psychosocial impacts of the acute episode on the person and their family or carers, such as fear, disruption of roles, financial stress, or impact on cultural or spiritual practices.

Ensure your assessment links observed clinical data to the underlying disease process. Demonstrate clear reasoning about why each identified problem is a priority in the acute phase of care.

Part 2: Nursing Care Plan and Culturally Safe Care

Task 2 – Develop and Prioritise a Nursing Care Plan (Approx. 700–900 Words)

Using your assessment from Task 1:

Develop and prioritise a nursing care plan that addresses the identified acute condition and at least three of the person’s symptoms or problems. Clearly indicate which problems are immediate priorities and justify your sequencing of care based on clinical risk.
For each nursing problem, document:
- One person-centred goal written in SMART format: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed.
- Two nursing interventions that are within the Enrolled Nurse scope of practice and carried out under Registered Nurse supervision.
- Evidence-based rationales for each intervention using current guidelines or scholarly literature.
- How you will evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, including what you will monitor, how often observations will be taken, and what findings indicate improvement or deterioration.
Discuss at least two culturally safe approaches you will use when planning and delivering care. Consider the person’s cultural background, preferred language, health beliefs, family involvement, and community supports. Explain how you will ensure respectful communication, informed consent, and shared decision-making.

Your care plan should demonstrate alignment with contemporary nursing standards and reflect safe delegation and collaboration practices.

Part 3: Implementation, Monitoring and Documentation

Task 3 – Implementing and Monitoring Care (Approx. 300–400 Words)

Explain how you will:

Implement the planned nursing interventions in collaboration with the Registered Nurse and multidisciplinary team, which may include a medical officer, physiotherapist, speech pathologist, or social worker.
Monitor the person’s response to care, including vital signs, focused assessments relevant to the condition such as respiratory, neurological, or cardiovascular assessments, pain scores, and functional status.
Identify early signs of deterioration specific to the acute condition and outline the steps you would take to escalate concerns according to organisational policies, such as notifying the Registered Nurse, activating a rapid response system, or contacting the medical officer.

Demonstrate awareness of clinical governance frameworks and the importance of timely escalation to prevent adverse outcomes.

Task 4 – Documentation and Communication (Approx. 200–300 Words)

Describe:

How you will accurately document assessment findings, care delivered, and evaluation outcomes in the health record in line with legal and professional standards.
The importance of timely, objective, and complete documentation in supporting safe and continuous care for people with acute health conditions.
How you would structure a brief ISBAR handover at the end of your shift to communicate the person’s current status, outstanding issues, and required follow-up to another nurse.

Your discussion should reflect professional accountability and the legal implications of nursing documentation.

Academic Extension Paragraph

Contemporary nursing management of acute health conditions requires the integration of systematic assessment, evidence-based intervention, and reflective clinical reasoning to support safe outcomes. Clinical reasoning models assist Enrolled Nurses to interpret cues, identify priorities, and evaluate responses to interventions within their defined scope of practice. Levett-Jones et al. (2019) emphasise that structured reasoning frameworks enhance patient safety by reducing cognitive bias and promoting timely recognition of deterioration. Within the context of acute care, the deliberate linking of assessment data to pathophysiological processes strengthens decision-making and ensures that care planning is logically aligned with identified risks and goals.

Assessment Conditions and Submission

Use the case study template and answer spaces provided by TAFE Queensland.
Write in full sentences. Dot points are acceptable in care plan tables.
Use 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, and standard academic layout.
Reference a minimum of five current, credible sources published between 2018 and 2026, including at least one Australian clinical guideline relevant to the condition.
Use APA 7th edition referencing, or the style specified by your campus, consistently throughout the assessment.
Submit via Connect by the due date stated in your Unit Study Guide.

Indicative Marking Guide (Abbreviated)

Criterion	Satisfactory (S)	Not Yet Satisfactory (NYS)
Task 1 – Assessment	Correctly identifies the acute health condition, key signs and symptoms, basic pathophysiology and aetiology, nursing problems and psychosocial impacts.	Acute condition incorrectly identified or poorly described; limited or inaccurate assessment data; psychosocial impacts not addressed.
Task 2 – Care Planning	Care plan addresses priority problems with clear goals, EN-appropriate interventions, sound rationales and evaluation criteria; includes culturally safe approaches.	Care plan incomplete, not prioritised, or inconsistent with EN role; rationales weak or missing; cultural safety not addressed.
Task 3 – Implementation and Monitoring	Demonstrates understanding of implementing and monitoring care and recognising deterioration; describes escalation pathways appropriately.	Limited or incorrect description of implementation, monitoring or escalation; potential risk to person’s safety.
Task 4 – Documentation and Communication	Explains accurate documentation and ISBAR handover clearly and links to safety and accountability.	Documentation and handover requirements not clearly explained or contain major errors.
Academic Skills	Writing is clear and logically structured; referencing mostly correct and current.	Frequent language or referencing errors; sources absent or inappropriate.

An Enrolled Nurse caring for a person with an acute neurological or respiratory condition must begin with a focused but systematic assessment that links clinical findings to the underlying pathophysiology so that priorities are set accurately. When the nurse develops a care plan that includes clear goals, interventions within the Enrolled Nurse scope of practice, and measurable evaluation criteria, it becomes easier to determine whether airway, breathing, circulation, pain, and psychological distress are improving or deteriorating. Culturally safe care requires asking how the person understands their illness, who should be involved in decisions, and what language or cultural supports might enhance safety and trust. Regular documentation of vital signs, focused assessment findings, and responses to treatment, combined with structured ISBAR handover, strengthens continuity of care and reduces the likelihood of missed clinical deterioration in people experiencing acute health conditions.

References

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2021). National Safety and Quality Health Service standards (2nd ed.). ACSQHC.

Levett-Jones, T., Hoffman, K., Dempsey, J., Jeong, S. Y., Noble, D., Norton, C. A., Roche, J., & Hickey, N. (2019). The five rights of clinical reasoning: An educational model to enhance nursing students’ ability to identify and manage clinically at risk patients. Nurse Education Today, 76, 29–34.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2023). Standards for practice: Enrolled nurses. NMBA.

Queensland Health. (2022). Recognition and management of the deteriorating patient guideline. Queensland Government.

Tollefson, J., & Hillman, K. (2019). Acute care nursing (4th ed.). Elsevier.

Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard, V., & Day, L. (2020). Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation. Jossey-Bass.