nursing diagnosis

[hello111]

hi I am a second year nursing student I am having some problems with finding a diagnosis for my patient who is 36 years old was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, and had a left neck dissection a week ago. He has a tracheostomy, and is getting fed by a NG tube

His vital signs are WNL, is voiding freely, but need some assistance with his ADLs. so please can you help me?

[scrlet]

I'm just a first year and idk how things differ from the US to Canada, but we had to do Data Tools on out pt's. and I had one similar to yours. One thing that always helps me is to always think ABC's first when doing your Dx. And we are always taught collect all your data and then really think about your pt. Read the deff and make sure thats your pt, but then it really comes down to the defining characteristics. You have to have to have one of those. But you really want to look at the root of it when looking at and the related factors. I know that sounds really first year and studenty, but I just find when I really break it down, it makes me really think about my pt and their most important needs. Good luck!!!

[Ashen]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.

[BiohazardBetty]

Again nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.[/quote']

I don't understand... Based in this logic, it sounds like we're just over paid babysitters...? No, we don't diagnose medical problems, but we do diagnose w/i our scope based on medical issues. Why are there nursing diagnoses if we don't diagnose... & what in the world were all those awful care plans full of nursing interventions my instructors made us come up with for 2 years?! I knew they were just torturing us...!! :)

[TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do.

While I think their argument is a bit silly, if you don't rephrase that to "Nurses do not make medical diagnoses" they're going to keep jumping down your throat.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Some nurses do

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.

It is accurate to say that nurses do not determine a patient's medical diagnosis. They do make nursing diagnoses. The blanket statement of "nurses do not diagnose patients" is outright not true, and capital letters, no matter how tall, will not change this.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

It is accurate to say that nurses do not determine a patient's medical diagnosis.

Not totally accurate! But I am just being picky.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.

Have you been to nursing school? If so, you'd see the entire context of this post and realize it has nothing to do with making a medical diagnosis. If you read the first sentence of the first post, you'd see that the patient already has a medical diagnosis and the student is trying to put together a plan of care with a NURSING DIAGNOSIS. Which again, if you've been to nursing school, you would understand.

I smell a troll.

[Compassion_x]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.

Nurses don't make MEDICAL diagnoses, they make NURSING diagnoses, therefore... it is still a diagnosis, just a different type. And echoing everyone else here.......have you been to nursing school????

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Again, nurses do not diagnose patients. Physicians do. You will rarely order tx based on your own judgement. Your job is to observe and report and intervene in an emergency. NURSES DO NOT DIAGNOSE.

You need to take a look at your state nurse practice act and the ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice, because when you are an RN (you can't be now if you say this sort of thing) you most certainly will be held to that standard. Nurses absolutely do prescribe nursing interventions to treat nursing-diagnosed conditions. Not only can we, we are obligated to.

If you are among the lay people that think medical diagnoses are the only ones that can possibly exist and are the only ones nurses treat, and you don't want to learn better, then we have nothing more to say. But you're still wrong.

[bella14k]

If nurses can't diagnose (nursing dx), how would the nurse carry out the plan of care? ADPIE...hello? lol