Which component provides the evidence that supports a nursing diagnosis?

Which component provides the evidence that supports a nursing diagnosis?

• A. Related factors
• B. Diagnostic label
• C. Medical diagnosis
• D. Defining characteristics

Answer: (D)

Defining characteristics are the signs and symptoms that verify a nursing diagnosis. They come from the nurse’s assessment and include subjective data (what the patient reports) and objective data (what is observed), providing the concrete evidence that the nursing problem exists. The diagnostic label is simply the name of the nursing diagnosis, while related factors are the etiologies that contribute to the problem, and a medical diagnosis is the physician’s label for a condition. For example, in a nursing diagnosis of acute pain, defining characteristics would include the patient’s self-reported pain rating and observable signs like grimacing or guarding, which confirm the problem. (If it were a risk diagnosis, evidence would come from risk factors rather than defining characteristics.)

Defining characteristics are the signs and symptoms that verify a nursing diagnosis. They come from the nurse’s assessment and include subjective data (what the patient reports) and objective data (what is observed), providing the concrete evidence that the nursing problem exists. The diagnostic label is simply the name of the nursing diagnosis, while related factors are the etiologies that contribute to the problem, and a medical diagnosis is the physician’s label for a condition. For example, in a nursing diagnosis of acute pain, defining characteristics would include the patient’s self-reported pain rating and observable signs like grimacing or guarding, which confirm the problem. (If it were a risk diagnosis, evidence would come from risk factors rather than defining characteristics.)