How to write a nursing diagnosis: Full guide 2022

Are you wondering what a nursing diagnosis is? Do you know how to write a nursing diagnosis? Well, a nursing diagnosis is a basis for selecting nursing actions to accomplish the results that a nurse is responsible for. These diagnoses are created using the data collected during the assessment process and allow you as the nurse to create a plan of care.

Table of Contents

Why do you need to write a nursing diagnosis?

Do you want as a nurse to see your, patients, from a holistic perspective? A perspective that facilitates the decision of particular nursing intervention. All you must do is be involved in writing nursing diagnoses. Nurses jot down these diagnostics because they

Assist in the identification of nursing concerns and the path of nursing approaches based on those priorities
Assist in the creation of potential results for the third-party payers’ assurance needs.
Ensure that nursing assessments aid in determining how your client reacts to projected or current life processes and health, as well as identifying their strengths. these strengths are used to avert or address problems
Serve as a framework for nursing practitioners and the medical team to interact and understand one another
Provide the foundation to determine whether nursing treatment was helpful and also cost-saving for your client
It is a very effective tool for teaching nursing students whose desire is to improve their critical thinking skill levels and problem-solving

Difference between a medical diagnosis and a nursing diagnosis

Can you clearly distinguish between a medical diagnosis and a nursing diagnosis? Well, the two have been a source of contradiction for students since time immemorial. The concept “nursing diagnosis” refers to three different ideas. It could be referring to the second part of the nursing diagnosis and process.

Also, whenever nurses attach meaning to acquired data suitably identified under NANDA-I-approved nursing diagnostic, nursing diagnosis corresponds to the label. During the examination, for instance, you may notice that your client is nervous, fearful, and has difficulty sleeping. These issues are identified with nursing diagnoses.

Finally, a nursing diagnostic alludes to one of the various diagnoses included in NANDA’s categorization. Your nursing diagnosis will be primarily based on your patient’s reaction to the medical issue in this case.

On the other hand, a medical diagnosis is done by a physician or any other advanced health care professional who focuses on the illness, health problem, or pathological aspect that only a professional can address.

Furthermore, the doctor undertakes the exact clinical entity that is the causative factor of the sickness, therefore offering the correct prescription to cure the condition, based on expertise and expertise. In most cases, a medical diagnosis doesn’t change. so, nurses must follow the doctor’s instructions and administer the specified therapies and treatments.

How to write a nursing diagnosis

A medical diagnosis identifies a medical condition or a particular disease while the nursing diagnosis analysis your patient’s needs. If you want to learn how to write a nursing diagnosis, pay heed to

Collection and analysis of data

Your patient’s symptoms

Ensure that you take note of any symptoms or injuries the patient might be experiencing. Relying on the indications you perceive; create a simple description of the condition your patient appears to be having.

Speak to your patient and their loved ones about their feelings

The data you collect from your patient and everyone around them goes into your nursing assessment. Friends and family can supply information regarding the client’s behavior changes and changes in appearance. They also can inform you to what extent the patient is affected by their disease.

Evaluate your patient’s response to their symptoms

Examine what attempts the patient has tried to relieve their symptoms, as well as how they deal with pain or impaired function. Consider your patient’s mood and how they treat others, particularly family members and hospital workers.

Distinguish between subjective and objective data

Subjective data refers to the information given by your patient concerning their feelings. It is their opinion, which you cannot validate. On the other hand, objective data is derived from scientifically measured and verifiable observations.

Identify the issue your diagnosis is to address

Examine the information you have gathered for trends. Various clinical signs that hint at the accurate diagnosis often clump together.

The diagnostic process in writing

If you have come across community health nursing diagnosis examples, you must be aware that there are necessary phases to adhere to during the diagnostic process. They are

Analysis of data

Comparing a patient’s data to clustering cues, and standards, and recognizing the gaps and discrepancies are all part of the analysis of the data.

Identifying risks, health issues, and strengths.

Following the analysis of data, a nurse in cahoots with their client identifies issues that justify the tentative actual, threat, and potential diagnoses in their decision-making process. It involves deciding whether a condition is clinical, a nursing, or a collaborative issue. The nurse as well as the client will also assess a client’s resources, strengths, and coping mechanisms at this point.

Identifying all the related factors

Look into the source of your patient’s issue

Determine why your patient is suffering that issue after you have diagnosed the illness from a clinical standpoint. This will assist you in determining which treatment plans will be effective in alleviating the condition.

Evaluating your patient’s overall health and health history

Examine your patient’s records and charts for information on the present condition. Lab results and discussions with the other healthcare personnel members may also be useful.

When determining related factors include the potential problems

List any indications or problems your patient might have as a result of their existing symptoms while receiving therapy, based on your understanding and knowledge of their condition. Consider other issues or symptoms that seem to occur in tandem with the client’s troubles.

Making your clinical decision

Finding the most suitable diagnosis

Start by looking up the formal word for the issue you’ve noticed. To help you, consult the NANDA-I or any nursing books you may have. Make a list of the official vocabulary that fits best your patient’s needs and their situation.

Putting the related factors together for a diagnosis

The relevant factors, as well as reasons for your patient’s problem, are listed in the next section of the nursing diagnosis. If you don’t know the standardized words for such factors, look them up in your texts.

Summarize your data in an AEB statement

“AEB,” is a popular nursing acronym ‘as evidenced by. Sift through all the information you have acquired to find traits that show the issue you have identified.

Formulation of diagnostic statements

The penultimate part of diagnosing is the construction of diagnostic statements, which is done by the nurse.

Writing the nursing diagnosis statement

If you are stuck wondering how to write a nursing diagnosis statement, don’t worry. Remember you do not need to include all the types of diagnostic indicators. The statement is written using the PES format. This format can be a one-part, two-part, or three-part statement.

Confusing, right? The PES format stands for problem i.e. the diagnostic label, etiology i.e., the related factors and symptoms i.e., the defining characteristics. Here is the nursing diagnosis format to help you write an impeccable and flawless diagnostic statement

Nursing diagnostic statement – one-part

Because the related variables are always similar, nursing diagnoses for promoting health are frequently written as a one-part statement: inspired to reach a greater level of wellbeing through connected factors which will be used to enhance the selected diagnosis. There are no factors that link disorder diagnoses. Examples of one-part nursing assessment statements are

Preparedness to Improve Breastfeeding
Preparedness for Improved Coping
The Rape Trauma Syndrome

Nursing diagnostic statement – two-parts

The first component of a hazard or safety nursing diagnosis is the diagnosis title, and the second section is the verification of a hazardous diagnostic test or the existence of potential confounders. The following are examples of a two-part nursing diagnostic declarations:

Infection vulnerability as reflected by a weakened host immune system
An impaired blood profile indicates a chance of harm.
Probable social exclusion due to an unknown cause

Nursing diagnostic statement- three-part

The notations (“linked to”), diagnostic labels, and symptoms and signs (“as exhibited by ” or “as proven by e”) are all elements of an empirical or problem-focused nursing diagnosis. The following are examples of a three-part nursing diagnoses statements:

Physical Mobility Impairment is linked to a loss of muscle command, as shown by the failure to control one’s lower limbs.
Acute discomfort due to the tissue ischemia, as shown by the remark “I have extreme chest pain!”

Do you know all the categories of nursing diagnosis?

Do not immerse yourself into writing blindly before determining what type of diagnosis and treatment plan is required. You might be at a loss ‘what is Nanda’s nursing diagnosis?’ This is a problematic area for nursing students so, you are not alone. The NANDA-1 provides the following types of nursing diagnosis

Problem-oriented nursing diagnosis

A client’s condition that is existing at the moment of the diagnosis is said to be a problem-oriented diagnosis (sometimes it can also be called the actual diagnosis). The existence of symptoms and linked indications are applied when making the diagnosis.

Actual nursing evaluations should not take precedence over hazardous diagnoses. A hazardous diagnosis could be the most important diagnostic for your patient in a variety of situations. The problem-focused diagnosis has the following components nursing diagnosis, associated factors, and defining characteristics. For further understanding, refer to the online nursing diagnosis examples.

The risks of nursing diagnosis

Risk nursing diagnosis, the second example is also a category of nursing diagnosis. There are many clinical conclusions that no issue exists, but still, the existence of perilous indicators implies that unless a nurse responds, a concern might arise. Risk diagnoses lack etiological variables.

Because of risks, an individual or population is more likely to acquire the condition than the others in that situation or a comparable situation. For instance, if an elderly client who is diabetic and has vertigo finds it difficult to walk and declines to reach out for help, he or she may be diagnosed with injury risk. The components of the risk nursing diagnosis include the risk diagnostic label and the risk factors.

Health advancement diagnostic

A clinical decision concerning the desire and motivation to improve the wellness of an individual is recognized as a good health advancement diagnosis. It is also called the wellness or quality health diagnosis. The movement of individuals, households, or societies from one degree of well-being to a more superior level is the focus of this health advancement diagnosis.

Diagnostic labels or the one-part declaration are mostly the only parts of this health advancement diagnosis. Examples of this diagnostic for promoting health are

Preparedness for Improved Spiritual Health
Preparedness for Better Family Functioning
Preparedness for Better Parenthood

The syndrome diagnosis

A syndrome diagnostic is a medical determination of a group of issues or a risk nursing diagnosis which are expected to show as a result of a specific incident condition. They also are represented as a one-part declaration that just requires a diagnostic label. Examples include

Syndrome of Chronic Pain
Post-Trauma Disorder
Elderly Frailty Syndrome

Possible nursing diagnosis

A probable nursing diagnosis, like actual, promotion of health, threat, and disorder, is not a category of diagnostic. Potential nursing diagnoses are declarations that define a suspicious condition that requires extra information to be confirmed or ruled out.

It allows you the nurse to share with the other caregivers that the diagnosis could be there, however, more information is required to confirm or cross out a diagnosis. The above categories are availed to you for that nursing diagnosis for community health.

Components of a diagnosis in nursing

Before embarking on the journey of how to write a nursing diagnosis, the components should be a no-brainer. This will ensure that your care plan is flawless and caters to all that is stipulated. If you don’t know them, relax, here they are

Problem and the definition

A problem declaration is also known as a diagnostic label. It is a brief description of your client’s health issue or reaction for which clinical care is availed. The diagnostic label usually contains two parts i.e., the diagnosis’s focus and the qualifier.

Qualifiers also commonly known as modifiers can be said to be phrases attached to a certain diagnostic label for extra meaning, constrain, or too explicit the diagnostic assertion.

Etiology

The similar aspects, the element of the nursing diagnosis tag specifies one or even more possible reasons for a health issue, and the conditions linked to the problem’s growth. It directs the proper nursing therapy, and also allows a nurse to make the patient’s care personalized. Nursing interventions must target etiological causes in an attempt to face the root of the nursing diagnosis.

The defining characteristics

The collections of symptoms and signs that suggest the existence of a particular diagnostic tag are known as defining features. The recognized clinical signs of a client are indeed the distinguishing characteristics of an accurate nursing diagnosis.

Because no symptoms or signs are evident in the risk nursing assessment, the circumstances that make the person more vulnerable to the issue create the genesis of the problem. Defining attributes are put down after the phrases “as evidenced by” or “as exhibited by” in a diagnosis statement.

Nursing diagnosis list for developing a care plan

Now that this guide has enlightened you on how to write a nursing diagnosis, are you aware of the existence of a nursing diagnosis list that can aid you in developing a great nursing care plan? This list comprises Nanda-approved nursing diagnosis examples. They are

Activity Intolerance
Anxiety
Chronic Pain
Diarrhea
Constipation
Decreased Cardiac Output
Imbalanced Nutrition: Less Than Body Requirements
Deficient Fluid Volume
Impaired Tissue (Skin) Integrity
Deficient Knowledge
Excess Fluid Volume
Fatigue
Fear
Hopelessness
Hyperthermia
Grieving
Acute Pain
Hypothermia
Impaired Gas Exchange
Impaired Urinary Elimination
Ineffective Breathing Pattern
Risk for Unstable Blood Glucose Level
Ineffective Tissue Perfusion
Risk for Falls
Risk for Impaired Skin Integrity
Risk for Infection
Ineffective Airway Clearance
Risk for Injury
Risk for Unstable Blood Glucose Level

Steps to writing an awesome nursing care plan

Writing a good and safe nursing care plan involves a five-step process. You already know how to write a nursing diagnosis, right? How about following these steps for a less challenging experience?

Step 1 Gathering of information

Gather data from all available sources.

Your complete examination

Conversations with your patient and the patient’s family

Conclusions (vital signs, lab values,)

Observation (your report sheet)

Reviewing the chart and taking notes

Discussions among healthcare personnel

Step 2 Analysis of the data gathered

Examine all available data.

Which are the regions where your patient is having difficulty and wishes to improve?

Consider how you can see the client growing and how you might recognize they are getting better.

Make a list of the overall concerns, how you would assist them in improving that aspect, and how you would know if they are improving.

Step 3 Thinking about how

Consider how you discovered there were problems.

What made you think that the patient was in pain? Did they inform you? Did you happen to notice it?

Were they using any painkillers?

Examine each “how” to see whether it is personal (is it pain or maybe something your patient mentioned?) or factual (you got this information using your sensory systems?)

Next to these, write an S or an O.

What might be the connection between these problems?

Is there a prior trauma, operation, or ailment?

Underneath the issue(s) you have discovered, jot down all your arguments (obviously, in layman’s language).

What can you do that improves the situation? (Interventions)

How might you know that things have improved? (Evaluation)

Step 4 Translating

Take all your workbooks (NOC, NANDA-I, NIC, or what you are using)

Search the formal terminology for the issue(s) and jot them down

Lookup results and actions which may correspond with you typed down

Step 5 Transcribing

Make the ultimate nursing diagnosis template

Assemble the puzzle (issue + associated element(s) + identifying characteristics or “hows”).

Make a nursing diagnosis

Position your objective and subjective data using your S’s and O’s.

Make a list of your actions and evaluation results.

Tips for generating a good diagnosis in nursing

When writing a community nursing diagnosis, you need to be accurate because you are dealing with the lives of people. Below are tips to gauge whether your diagnosis is good or not

A competent nursing prognosis will explain to the doctor what you believe your patient’s problem is, what the patient requires, and why. It should not, however, provide a diagnosis. Your client’s diagnosis should always be made by a doctor; hence your diagnosis must not draw any conclusions as to what that diagnosis would be
Until a doctor confirms their official diagnosis, it is prudent to mention that your patient “seems” or “appears” to be ailing from their suspected illness or symptoms
Consider your nurse’s diagnosis as nothing more than a map that will assist a doctor in making a more accurate diagnosis. It should not, however, guide the clinician in any specific route
What happens if you don’t speak up and your patient needs additional pain meds because their present dosage isn’t managing their pain? Consider yourself the patient’s representative. You can also recommend further testing if you believe they are necessary but please remember, the doctor is the one to make the final treatment decision.

Bottom line

Your diagnosis will involve communicating individual needs and cumulative medical needs among the members of the care team and throughout the care delivery. By doing so you will facilitate tailored family, patient, and community care, and also strengthen the field.
If you need help on how to write a nursing diagnosis, don’t slacken; reach out to professionals and let them make it possible for you.

Writing this kind of assignment might be tricky for a first-time nurse practitioner but to a professional it is easy. Don’t be discouraged by the pricing, you might be shocked at how low the charges are.

If you have begun writing the assignment but are stuck, you can always go to our website for the best examples of nursing diagnoses. Don’t quit mid-way, there are online samples that can give you a hint or a full idea.