Nursing Diagnosis Tools

Nursing diagnostic tools are used to detect diseases and illnesses, as well as monitor a patient's progress. Many diagnostic tools used in nursing give instant and accurate readings that help a nurse determine how serious a patient's conditions are and decide upon the best course of follow-up treatment. Blood pressure monitors, stereoscopes and spirometers for measuring lung capacity are routinely used by nurses.

Blood Pressure Monitors

• Blood pressure monitoring machines measure blood pressure and give a fast and accurate reading on a digital display panel. Nurses use blood pressure monitors during routine health checks and when a patient is hospitalized. Blood pressure monitors are an important diagnostic tool because they detect hypertension, which puts people at increased risk of strokes and heart disease.

Thermometers

• Nurses use clinical thermometers to measure their patients' body temperature. Thermometers are used in hospitals to assess patients' general progress and state of health, although occupational health nurses and those attached to outpatient clinics also routinely use thermometers, as they help determine if a patient has an infection or virus. A school-based nurse, for example, would take a child's temperature if he complained of feeling unwell. There are several types of clinical thermometers, including oral thermometers that are placed under the tongue and rectal thermometers.

Spirometers

• Spirometers measure the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs. They're used by nurses to diagnose the lung capacity of asthma patients and those suffering from pulmonary conditions like bronchitis and cystic fibrosis. Spirometers have a mouthpiece that the patient blows into, which enables the machine to measure the volume and flow of air that can be inhaled and exhaled.

Hand Dynamometers

• Hand dynamometers measure a patient's grip strength. Nurses and physicians use them to diagnose musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and to monitor recovery following hand surgery or injury. An instant reading is given when the patient grips a handle attached to the machine.