What it means
A medical diagnosis names the disease, such as pneumonia or heart failure, and usually stays the same while the disease is present. A nursing diagnosis is different: it names the client's response to their health problem, such as impaired gas exchange or risk for falls, and changes as the client changes. Nurses use both to plan care.
For the nurse
Nurses do not make medical diagnoses. Report your assessment findings so the provider can diagnose, and write nursing diagnoses for the problems nurses treat.
At a glance
| Spanish | diagnóstico médico |
|---|---|
| Also written | medical diagnoses |
Related terms
assess
To gather information about a client by looking, listening, asking, measuring and examining.
nursing process
The step-by-step method nurses use to plan and give care: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate.
plan of care
A written plan that lists a client's problems, goals and the nursing actions to reach them.