Which statement best represents a correctly written nursing diagnosis?

Which statement best represents a correctly written nursing diagnosis?

• A. Ineffective health maintenance related to lack of motivation
• B. Eats anything and does not think diet makes a difference in health
• C. Impaired physical mobility related to pain
• D. Risk for falls related to confusion

Answer: (A)

A nursing diagnosis should name how the patient responds to a health issue and include a factor that explains that response, using the format Problem related to Etiology. The statement “Ineffective health maintenance related to lack of motivation” fits this pattern. It uses a recognized nursing diagnosis label (Ineffective health maintenance) and provides an etiology (lack of motivation) that helps explain why the patient is not maintaining health practices. This keeps the statement focused on the patient’s response and what nursing can influence. Other options don’t meet the standard as cleanly. One describes a belief or behavior about diet rather than a defined patient response labeled as a nursing diagnosis. The third option, while it resembles a diagnosis, is simply a phrase linking mobility impairment to pain and would typically need defining characteristics to support it. The fourth presents a risk diagnosis, which is valid in its own right but does not illustrate a current patient response with a clear etiologic factor as clearly as the first option.

A nursing diagnosis should name how the patient responds to a health issue and include a factor that explains that response, using the format Problem related to Etiology. The statement “Ineffective health maintenance related to lack of motivation” fits this pattern. It uses a recognized nursing diagnosis label (Ineffective health maintenance) and provides an etiology (lack of motivation) that helps explain why the patient is not maintaining health practices. This keeps the statement focused on the patient’s response and what nursing can influence.

Other options don’t meet the standard as cleanly. One describes a belief or behavior about diet rather than a defined patient response labeled as a nursing diagnosis. The third option, while it resembles a diagnosis, is simply a phrase linking mobility impairment to pain and would typically need defining characteristics to support it. The fourth presents a risk diagnosis, which is valid in its own right but does not illustrate a current patient response with a clear etiologic factor as clearly as the first option.