Online Nursing Diagnosis & Interventions

While nurses are an important part of the health care team, they are typically not the ones to diagnose patients. In certain instances, nurse practitioners may be allowed to take on this role, but the majority of RNs and LPNs can only identify and describe symptoms, which a physician then considers before diagnosing a condition.

Diagnosis

• In order to determine which symptoms may guide a doctor toward a particular diagnosis, online tools can be especially helpful. The Clinical Care Classification System and online resources available from the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association are two Web-based options available to the nursing field for help with both diagnosis and treatment.

Intervention

• Once a diagnosis has been made by the attending physician, the health care team, including nursing staff, formulates a treatment intervention plan. Many nurses find that online tools are also helpful in developing their part of the plan, such as wound care or infection control. Online tools from companies such as Elsevier, Inc. make it easy to complete a standard care plan in very little time.

Cautions

• Although online tools have their place in nursing, they should not be the only treatment methods used with a patient. Careful observation of any change in symptoms or condition is a crucial part of the nurse's responsibility in case a change in diagnosis or treatment plan is needed.