Hello all, I am completely swamped over here and about to lse my mind. I am one step closer to completing my long journey towards becoming an Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I have a ver long road ahead of me as I am still in the LPN program. Well technically the LPN program officially starts next. My school has completely changed the LPn program we have to go through 3 quarters of the Healthcare Assistant Program first-- CNA. This is the last quarter and I am already stressed out because they keep changing the program up on us and making it longer. I really wish that I just went ahead and went to the other school and did the 2 year Associate RN since this program is turning out to take the same amount of time. Oh well you live and you learn.

The question I have for anyone out there that can answer is this.

1. What is a nursing Diagnosis?-- I have looked this up but I am still confused.

2. How would you go about writing one for this case?

In my Diet and Nutrition class we have case studies and the one I am currently doing is about a 7 yo male that was discovered searching a garbage can for food. His skin was pale and he was dirty and unkempt. He was turned over to social services and told them his mother had been sick and taken to the hospital several months ago. He didn't know what hospital she was in and had been along all this time. He also told the SW how he had been surviving by himself. Social Services took him to the hospital where it was found he had a distended abdomen, serosanguinous sores on his body and painful lower limbs.

If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.

Crystal

Nursing diagnosis confuses the crap out of me too. I'm only 3 weeks into my RN program and we use a giant book for diagnosis so Im hoping with practice I'll get the hang of it. It's really something you just have to keep working with to figure out.

You must have the same nutrition book I did, I had the same case study. I used nutrition less than body requirements and the instructor was happy with that. Go to a college library that has a nursing program and buy a book on nursing process and nursing diagnosis, that helped me tremendously. Your goals and interventions wil be easier too.

I have the same book as you do.  Do you have a cd in the back of the book? If so put it in the computer, it will have a menu for chapter 1 and you will see the case studies, click on them and you will see what a case study is :)

Take care

I agree with using Nanda approved diagnoses. You can find Nanda diagnosis cards. I find cards helpful, because the nursing diagnosis is on the front, and the uses are on the  back. Very handy.