A Study of the Classification of Nursing Diagnoses

Shon, Young Hee

Abstract

This study was conducted to analyze the nursing diagnoses applied for case studies of nursing students through their clinical practices, and to provide the educational basis of nursing diagnosed with its results. The data were collected for two years(1995 and 1996) from 70 case studies reported by the 2nd and 3rd year nursing junior college students. The students made 259 nursing diagnoses among which 230 diagnoses qualified NANDA classification and were taken for analysis. The results of the analysis were as follows : 1. The number of diagnoses indicating response patterns was 35(35.7%), whereas 98 diagnoses in NANDA table . Among the 35 diagnoses, the pattern of exchange was most frequent, then feeling, moving, knowing in rank. 2. The diagnoses were analyzed in the categories of response patterns. For Instance, 'Altered in Nutrition' was most frequent in exchange, then Risk for Infection', 'Ineffective Airway Clearance', in rank. 3. Among 230 diagnoses, 'Knowledge Deficit' was most frequently mentioned, then 'Activity Intolerance' 'Anxiety' 'Pain' 'Altered in Nutrition', Risk for Infection, 'Ineffective airway clearance', in rank. 4. The types of word expression of each diagnoses were various, 'Activity Intolerance' was expressed in 6 types. 5. The relating factors applied to each diagnosis were analyzed. For Instance, the relating factor of 'Knowledge Deficit' were illness, and therapeutic process, lack of motivation, occurrence of complication, short experience, operation, and so on. From the above study, the researcher would like to recommend as follows : 1) The current diagnoses need to be verified its content validity, when they are applied to our culture. 2) The most effective educational method for applying nursing diagnoses should be explored. 3) Further study could be focused on not only ' relating factors' but also 'sign and symptoms'.