Key Basics on How to Write a Risk for Nursing Diagnosis
Facing challenges on how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis? Note diagnosis is very critical to nursing practice.
For this reason, similar to Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in nursing or nursing essays, nursing diagnoses are some of the most common assignments for a nurse.
Just as medical diagnosis is key to disease treatment or management, nursing diagnosis is as well instrumental in the management of problems associated with the disease.
Principally, nursing diagnosis definition could vary between scholars or institutions.
Nonetheless, it is agreeable that nursing diagnosis relates to the response being experienced by the patient due to their health condition as revealed by a nursing assessment.
It is clear that there are four key types of nursing diagnosis.
Although in this article our key focus is how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis, it is important to have a brief overview of the other types of nursing diagnosis.
They include:
1. Actual Nursing Niagnosis
The nursing diagnosis definition for this category looks at clinical judgment done on a health problem detected during the assessment of a patient. This diagnosis is defined by key signs, symptoms, and characteristics.
Examples of actual diagnosis would include ineffective urine passage characterized by pain in the urethra during urination, inflamed urethra, and highly colored urine.
2. Wellness Nursing Diagnosis
This type of nursing diagnosis entails a clinical assessment done on a community, family, or an individual to determine whether they can effectively move to a higher wellness level.
Nursing diagnosis related to community, family, or individual wellness should ensure that the target entity possesses its current status or function and exhibits the desire to enhance its wellness.
Example of diagnosis under this category may include individual readiness for smoking cessation.
3. Risk Nursing Diagnosis
As one of the key types of nursing diagnosis, risk diagnosis involves a clinical assessment done on nonexistent health problems.
Key considerations on how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis entail the different risk factors a community, family, or individual face in relation to a specific health problem.
The risk factors are an indication that the patient is predisposed to higher future risk of acquiring the health problem compared to others.
Examples of risk nursing diagnosis may include the risk for infection due to HIV/AIDS.
4. Syndrome Nursing Diagnosis
This category entails nursing diagnosis related to clinical assessment of a collection of predicted actual or high risk nursing diagnosis associated with a certain event or situation.
Generally, key types of diagnosis under this category include relocation stress syndrome, rape trauma syndrome, disuse syndrome, post-trauma syndrome, and impaired environmental interpretation syndrome.
How to Write a Risk for Nursing Diagnosis using the 3 Part Nursing Diagnosis Approach
There are numerous concerns when it comes to how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis using the 3 part nursing diagnosis approach.
As illustrated in NANADA 3 part nursing diagnosis examples, this approach entails 3 major parts that include:
1. Data analysis
2. Problem identification, and
3. Nursing diagnosis formulation
The different types of nursing diagnosis are required to follow this approach. 3 part nursing diagnosis examples show that the diagnosis statement comprises of:
1. Diagnostic label
2. Etiology, and
3. Defining characteristics
In this, defining characteristics entail the respective symptoms and signs, clinical manifestations, or any objective or subjective data available used in the diagnosis.
Best practices on how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis should differentiate between the 3 part and the 2 part diagnosis statement.
Note that in contrast, the 2 part diagnosis statement looks at only diagnostic label and etiology.
Measures on how to Write a Risk for Nursing Diagnosis
Writing a nursing diagnosis related to risk is a scientific process.
Therefore, it should adhere to some rules to ensure that it produces accurate results. These rules are usually the difference between a good and a poor risk for nursing diagnosis.
Particularly, these rules are important in addressing key limitations in risk for nursing diagnosis, such as:
1. Lack of clarity on nursing list approved by NANDA,
2. Burnout challenges associated with being overworked,
3. Nursing diagnosis being sidelined by medical diagnosis,
4. Diagnosis that does not match patient situation, and
5. Liability for wrong nursing diagnosis.
The nurse is required to adopt respective measures to effectively address the above limitations.
Some of the essential measures when it comes to how to write a risk for nursing diagnosis include:
1. Ensuring that you use accurate and complete data.
2. Using an appropriate organizational framework in the clustering of data cues.
3. Ensuring that you effectively analyze and validate data being used.
4. Enhancing accuracy in crafting the risk for nursing diagnosis.
3 Part Nursing Diagnosis Examples for Risk Diagnosis
The 3 part nursing diagnosis should follow the NANDA format. Note that diagnosis under the risk category do not include related factors.
This is because the problem has not been established as the purpose of the diagnosis is to identify vulnerability to a potential problem.
Based on this format, the diagnosis statement should appear as shown below.
Risk for_______ as evidence by ________ (Risk Factors).
As such, key 3 part nursing diagnosis examples under the risk category would be illustrated hereunder.
Example 1:
Risk for infection as evidence by immunosuppression and inadequate vaccination.
Example 2:
Risk for infection as evidenced by long-term bed hospitalization.
Example 3:
Risk for infection as evidenced by presence of malnutrition.
Example 4:
Risk for infection as evidenced by presence of invasive procedures.
Example 5:
Risk for injury as evidenced by weak legs and arms.
Example 6:
Risk for SIDS as evidenced by mother’s smoking behavior during pregnancy.
Example 7:
Risk for SIDS as evidenced by low birth weight and premature birth.
Example 8:
Risk for SIDS as evidenced by lack of prenatal care.
Example 9:
Risk for falls as evidenced by impaired vision.
Example 10:
Risk for falls as evidenced by the use of sedatives.
Example 11:
Risk for falls as evidenced by urinary incontinence.
Example 12:
Risk for falls as evidenced by the use of anticonvulsants.
Example 13:
Risk for low aspiration as evidenced by increased coughing and decreased gag reflex.
Example 14:
Risk for injury as evidenced by impaired mobility and high disorientation.
Example 15:
Risk for impaired skin integrity as evidenced by neuropathy and edema.
