PURPOSE.To document nursing diagnoses on nursing care plans in an Australian context where NANDA nursing diagnoses were utilized.
METHODS.An audit of 198 nursing care plans at three selected hospitals by three university lecturers involved in teaching nursing diagnosis.
FINDINGS.Pain was the nursing diagnosis most often documented; the majority of other diagnoses pertained to physical problems experienced by patients.
CONCLUSIONS.The results of this research add to the knowledge of nursing diagnosis utilization and have implications for the provision of nursing care and its teaching and research.
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