Maslow's Hierarchy and NCLEX Prioritization

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Basic Needs: Most critical for survival; physiological needs take precedence.
• Physiological Needs: Include airway, respiratory effort, heart rate, nutrition, and elimination. These must be prioritized in nursing interventions.
• Safety and Security: Protect from harm by addressing falls, ensuring safe medication administration, and fostering trustful nurse-patient relationships.
• Psychological Needs: Pain is considered psychological and is typically not the primary concern; it's rare for pain to directly cause death.
• Love and Belonging: Focus on maintaining support systems, preventing isolation, respecting gender, and ensuring patients feel safe.
• Self-Esteem: Involves feelings of control, competence, positive regard, and acceptance.
• Self-Fulfillment Needs: Include self-actualization, which encompasses hope, spiritual well-being, and personal growth.

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

• Self-Actualization: Relevant in the context of adult development.
• Young Adult (20-40 years): Intimacy vs. Isolation; success in building relationships is crucial for psychological well-being.
• Middle Adult (40-60 years): Generativity vs. Stagnation; fulfillment often comes from contributing to the next generation through careers, parenting, or hobbies.
• Late Adult (60+ years): Integrity vs. Despair; reflection on life’s meaning and legacy versus feelings of dissatisfaction, anger, or depression.

This quiz focuses on applying Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to NCLEX priority questions. It emphasizes understanding the physiological needs as the foundation for patient care, particularly in critical situations. Test your knowledge on identifying the most important initial nursing responses based on this hierarchy.