Common Errors in Nursing Diagnoses
1. Relating one NANDA stem to another, which includes rewording one stem so that it appears to be
different. This is incorrect because both NANDA stems are symptoms and there is no cause and
effect relationship.
Example: Anxiety related to fear. (Anxiety does not cause fear.)
2. Using a medical diagnoses as part of the nursing diagnosis, which included renaming a medical
problem to make it sound like a nursing diagnosis. Nurses are not licensed to diagnoses and
treat medical diagnoses.
Example: Altered tissue perfusion: total related to pneumonia
3. Not using “effects of” when the etiology has happened in the past or cannot be changed. Nurses
cannot go back in time and change what has already happened.
Example: Pain related to colon resection
Correct would be: Pain related to the effects of colon resection surgery
4. Causing legal or ethical problems.
Example: Urinary incontinence total related to inability of the staff to place client on
bedpan every two hours.
5. Having both the NANDA stem and the etiology mean the same thing but written to sound
differently. When this is done there is no cause and effect.
Example: Fluid volume deficit related to hypovolemia
6. Stating the nursing diagnosis using medical terminology. Focus on the client’s response to the
medical problem.
Example: Mastectomy related to cancer
Correct would be Risk for self-concept disturbance related to the effects
of mastectomy.
7. Stating two problems in one diagnosis.
Example Anxiety and pain related to diagnostic procedures.
8. Using the same etiology for several problems. If the same etiology is listed for several problems,
the etiology will not serve to guide nursing interventions.
Examples: Pain related to the effects of surgery
Anxiety related to the effects of surgery
Ineffective airway clearance related to the effects of surgery
Correct: Pain related to the effects of surgery
Anxiety related to lack of familiarity with hospital routine
Ineffective airway clearance related to poor cough effort