Does anyone think nursing diagnoses are just plain silly - overly literal and laughably complex? (please see examples at end of this post)
Are we trying so hard to legitimize nursing as a profession that we resort to such silly, "uniquely nursing" language? I think it was a waste of energy to have devoted so much time to developing this "uniquely nursing" language.
That energy could have been so much more constructively applied in, say, lobbying Congress to improve nursing working conditions and, say, public service announcements showing the public why nursing IS a profession & one that should be respected!
I mean, why can't we just use the same language as docs? We're all grown-ups with a pretty good grip on health sciences terminology - after all, we went to school in the subject! A pulmonary embolism is a pulmonary embolism. Constipation is constipation. I know the NDs give us "cues" as to what nurses can specifically & autonomously treat, but c'mon....
Do we really expect docs to read over such silly "diagnostic" language?
Some cases in point from my nursing textbook are provided below, with real-world translations. (Feel free to contribute others, either fictional or actual!)
Forgive me if I seem overly facetious or sarcastic. But these are nursing dx's really suggested by my textbook, and I found them not a little ridiculous:
NURSING DIAGNOSIS-ESE: "Impaired gas exchange related to interference with the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the capillaries and cells secondary to excess fluid volume." (DUH!! That's how the lungs work!)
TRANSLATION: Patient has pulmonary edema.
NURSING DIAGNOSIS-ESE: "Constipation related to inadequate amount of fluid to provide volume for stool formation." (Ah! Didn't know constipation involved dry poos.)
TRANSLATION: Patient is dehydrated and constipated.
NURSING DIAGNOSIS-ESE: "Impaired gas exchange related to decreased volume of blood available to transport respiratory gases secondary to deficient fluid volume" (Yes! The blood DOES carry oxygen and CO2!)
TRANSLATION: Pulmonary problems related to hypovolemia.
NURSING DIAGNOSIS-ESE: "Fatigue related to altered cellular metabolism secondary to deficient fluid" (Yes! Cellular metabolism does affect the body!)
