Chapter 17: Nursing Diagnosis | Questions with 100% Verified
Answers | Latest Update 2026/2027
Question: The diagnostic process is
Answer: a clinical judgement that involves reviewing assessment information, recognizing cues, clustering cues
into patterns in the data, and identify the patient's specific health care problems
Question: Diagnostic conclusions include
Answer: problems treated primarily by nurses (nursing diagnosis) and those requiring treatment by several
disciplines (collective problems).
Question: A nurse reviews data gathered regarding a patient's ability to cope with loss. The nurse compares
the defining characteristics for Ineffective Coping with those for Readiness for Enhanced Coping and selects
Ineffective Coping as the correct diagnosis. This is an example of the nurse avoiding an error in:
Answer: Data collection. Data interpretation. This is an example of an error in interpretation and data
collection. When making a diagnosis, the nurse must interpret data that he or she has collected by identifying
and organizing relevant assessment patterns to support the presence of patient problems. In the case of the
two diagnoses in this question, there can be conflicting cues. The nurse must obtain more information and
recognize the cues that point to the correct diagnosis.
Question: The use of standard formal nursing diagnostic statements serves several purposes in nursing
practice, including which of the following?
Answer: Defines a patient's problem, giving members of the health care team a common language for
understanding the patient's needs, Helps nurses focus on the scope of nursing practice, Builds and expands
nursing knowledge. The use of nursing diagnosis creates a common language for nurses to communicate
patient care needs, allows nurses to focus on the realm and scope of nursing practice, and helps to develop
nursing knowledge. It is not a language for physicians and allied health staff because they do not rely on
providing nursing interventions. Terminology in nursing diagnosis may be familiar to other health care
providers but not in a way for directing nursing interventions. Nursing diagnosis has the purpose of creating
practice guidelines for nursing.
Question: Which of the following nursing diagnoses is stated correctly?
Answer: Sleep Deprivation related to sustained noisy environment, Ineffective Protection related to inadequate
nutrition. The correct diagnoses of Sleep Deprivation and Ineffective Protection are worded with related factors
that will respond to nursing interventions. Nursing interventions do not change a medical diagnosis or
diagnostic test. Instead nurses direct nursing interventions at behaviors or conditions that they are able to
treat or manage. The first two incorrect diagnoses use a medical diagnosis and diagnostic procedure
respectively as related or etiological factors. These are not conditions that nursing interventions can treat. The
last diagnosis is incorrect because it is related to an assessment finding of a symptom or a defining
characteristic.
Question: Review the following problem-focused nursing diagnoses and identify the diagnoses that are stated
correctly.
Answer: Impaired Skin Integrity related to physical immobility, Nausea related to gastric distention, The related
factors in diagnoses "Fatigue related to heart disease" and "Need for improved oral mucosa integrity related to
inflamed mucosa" are incorrect. The related factor of a medical diagnosis (in Fatigue related to heart disease)
cannot be corrected through nursing intervention. In "Need for improved oral mucosa integrity related to
inflamed mucosa" there is no diagnosis, but instead a goal of care. "Risk for infection related to surgery" is
incorrect; risk nursing diagnoses do not have defining characteristics or related factors because they have not
occurred yet.
Answers | Latest Update 2026/2027
Question: The diagnostic process is
Answer: a clinical judgement that involves reviewing assessment information, recognizing cues, clustering cues
into patterns in the data, and identify the patient's specific health care problems
Question: Diagnostic conclusions include
Answer: problems treated primarily by nurses (nursing diagnosis) and those requiring treatment by several
disciplines (collective problems).
Question: A nurse reviews data gathered regarding a patient's ability to cope with loss. The nurse compares
the defining characteristics for Ineffective Coping with those for Readiness for Enhanced Coping and selects
Ineffective Coping as the correct diagnosis. This is an example of the nurse avoiding an error in:
Answer: Data collection. Data interpretation. This is an example of an error in interpretation and data
collection. When making a diagnosis, the nurse must interpret data that he or she has collected by identifying
and organizing relevant assessment patterns to support the presence of patient problems. In the case of the
two diagnoses in this question, there can be conflicting cues. The nurse must obtain more information and
recognize the cues that point to the correct diagnosis.
Question: The use of standard formal nursing diagnostic statements serves several purposes in nursing
practice, including which of the following?
Answer: Defines a patient's problem, giving members of the health care team a common language for
understanding the patient's needs, Helps nurses focus on the scope of nursing practice, Builds and expands
nursing knowledge. The use of nursing diagnosis creates a common language for nurses to communicate
patient care needs, allows nurses to focus on the realm and scope of nursing practice, and helps to develop
nursing knowledge. It is not a language for physicians and allied health staff because they do not rely on
providing nursing interventions. Terminology in nursing diagnosis may be familiar to other health care
providers but not in a way for directing nursing interventions. Nursing diagnosis has the purpose of creating
practice guidelines for nursing.
Question: Which of the following nursing diagnoses is stated correctly?
Answer: Sleep Deprivation related to sustained noisy environment, Ineffective Protection related to inadequate
nutrition. The correct diagnoses of Sleep Deprivation and Ineffective Protection are worded with related factors
that will respond to nursing interventions. Nursing interventions do not change a medical diagnosis or
diagnostic test. Instead nurses direct nursing interventions at behaviors or conditions that they are able to
treat or manage. The first two incorrect diagnoses use a medical diagnosis and diagnostic procedure
respectively as related or etiological factors. These are not conditions that nursing interventions can treat. The
last diagnosis is incorrect because it is related to an assessment finding of a symptom or a defining
characteristic.
Question: Review the following problem-focused nursing diagnoses and identify the diagnoses that are stated
correctly.
Answer: Impaired Skin Integrity related to physical immobility, Nausea related to gastric distention, The related
factors in diagnoses "Fatigue related to heart disease" and "Need for improved oral mucosa integrity related to
inflamed mucosa" are incorrect. The related factor of a medical diagnosis (in Fatigue related to heart disease)
cannot be corrected through nursing intervention. In "Need for improved oral mucosa integrity related to
inflamed mucosa" there is no diagnosis, but instead a goal of care. "Risk for infection related to surgery" is
incorrect; risk nursing diagnoses do not have defining characteristics or related factors because they have not
occurred yet.
