Diagnostic Processes For Nurses

Nurses have many different duties depending on where they work and the role they have. At the center of everything they do is patient care, and one of their main responsibilities is to help assess and identify what issues their patients may have and how serious these are in order to move forward with treatment plans.

According to the American Nurses Association, registered nurses are trained to use a systematic and dynamic way to collect and analyze information about the people in their care. This assessment stage includes physiological data and sociocultural, spiritual, economic, psychological and lifestyle factors. They will look at the illness, but also at issues such as whether the patient is eating properly, if they request pain medication, and how much, or if they are unable to get out of bed should they be admitted to a hospital ward.

The nursing diagnosis is the basis for their care plan and is formed by using their clinical judgment about their patient’s response to current or potential health conditions. This will reflect whether they are in pain, for instance, but also whether the pain has caused other issues, such as poor nutrition or anxiety, that could lead to other problems, such as a respiratory infection or dehydration.

Once the assessment and diagnosis have been done, the nurse will move on to the outcome and planning stage, setting measurable short and long-term goals for the patient. These could include moving from a bed to a chair a specific number of times a day or managing pain by taking the right medication. All of this information is written in the patient’s care plan so that all professionals involved in looking after them will have access to it.

Once the care plan is finalized, the nursing care is implemented using it as a guide, ensuring continuity of care until the patient is discharged. During this time, their status and the effectiveness of the care plan will be evaluated and then modified if needed.

Learning the skills

A wide interest in medical developments and trends is an important part of the lifelong learning element of nursing, so attending courses and webinars, gaining extra qualifications, and reading clinical and more general books, magazines and websites related to health are crucial.

It’s important to find the right course to study to enable you to gain the best training possible to progress through the sector. The online MSN-FNP program prepares students who have a BSN degree from an accredited institution, an unencumbered RN license, and two years of full-time work experience with the skills to conduct comprehensive health assessments of their patients by, for example, performing detailed health histories, and physical examinations and family histories. 

With the Diagnostics and Procedures in Primary Care module, students also focus on evidence-based knowledge in diagnostics and procedures utilized in primary care to develop a comprehensive treatment and management plan crucial to moving patients through the process of diagnosis and treatment. For more information, contact the dedicated enrollment advisor or download a brochure today.

Originally posted 2023-04-24 14:51:16.