Behind the Scenes
Doctors make a medical diagnosis. Nurses make a nursing diagnosis. That’s part of the collaborate effort the clinical team makes to restore you to health. A nursing diagnosis is a statement about your wellness, the actual health problem you have, or the risks there may exist for you.
First a nursing assessment must be done before a nursing diagnosis can be made. Once the nursing diagnosis is determined, the nurse will then decide on appropriate nursing interventions. These interventions could be things like turning you from side-to-side at regular intervals or making you take deep breaths regularly. Doctors will tell you your medical diagnosis. Most likely, you won’t even know what your nursing diagnosis is. Just know that your nurse is a vital part of the clinical team using experience, education, and critical thinking to provide you with excellent care.
