A nursing diagnosis is a statement that identifies a patient’s actual or potential health problems, which can and are authorized to addressed through the practice of nursing professionals. The concept of nursing diagnosis has been developed and defined by American professional organizations and nursing theorists since the 1970s. Initially, there was some controversy as it was sometimes confused with medical diagnoses, but it has since gained recognition as a crucial step in the nursing process.

One of the most widely accepted definitions of nursing diagnoses is provided by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). According to NANDA, nursing diagnoses are described as “a clinical judgment about an individual’s, family’s, or community’s response to an actual or potential health problem/life process. Nursing diagnoses provide the basis for appropriate nursing interventions to achieve the goals for which nurses are responsible.” It is important to distinguish nursing diagnoses from medical diagnoses.

A medical diagnosis outlines a problem for which physicians are primarily responsible for managing the treatment. In contrast, a nursing diagnosis describes a health problem for which nursing professionals take responsibility in assisting through their nursing practice.

The development of nursing diagnostic terminology, serving as a common language, is primarily undertaken by NANDA. This terminology is translated and used globally, contributing to standardized communication in clinical practice. It has been employed in actual healthcare settings, continually validated, and is an ongoing developmental process.

• Carpenito-Moyet, L. J. (2008). Carpenito nursing diagnostic manual (4th ed.; Shindo, Y., Trans.). Igaku-Shoin.
• Herdman, T. H. (Ed.). (2009). NANDA-I nursing diagnosis: Definition and classification (2009–2011) (Nakagi, T., & Japanese Society for Nursing Diagnosis, Trans.). Igaku-Shoin.
• Kuroda, Y. (Supervisor). (2009). Easy-to-understand mid-range theory for nursing diagnosis. Gakken.