Difference Between Nursing Diagnosis and Medical Diagnosis

Medical Diagnosis vs Nursing Diagnosis: Scope, Roles & Care Plans

Diagnosis is one of the main aspects in the healthcare field. Among others, medical and nursing diagnoses are among the most talked about. However, people often confuse the two. Let us differentiate between them and understand what they are.

What is a nursing diagnosis?

A nursing diagnosis is an essential part of the entire healthcare field. It is a clinical diagnosis, where nurses judge a patient's response to any disease, illness or vulnerability. Registered nurses develop a nursing care plan after assessing the patient's data.

It is a patient-centric approach where the care plan is modified according to how you respond to it and life processes.

What is a medical diagnosis?

Medical diagnosis is characterised by identifying symptoms and signs of a disease or condition through tests and checkups. Doctors use analytical and data-driven information to make medical diagnoses.

For example, if you visit your doctor with diabetes symptoms, your doctor will conduct a physical examination, blood tests and other procedures. It will help them pinpoint which body part is affected and provide treatment based on that.

Comparative Analysis of Nursing and Medical Diagnosis

Let us discuss what sets nursing and medical diagnosis apart in the healthcare field:

Aspect	Nursing Diagnosis	Medical Diagnosis
Purpose	To evaluate the patient’s illness response and curate a nursing care plan	To find out what illness afflicts the patients through tests
Goal	To improve the patient’s quality of life, overall well-being, and bodily response to illnesses	To identify and treat symptoms of the specific disease or illness
Treatment Planning	Focuses on the patient’s needs and develops nursing care plans	Focuses on treating the disease through medicines, surgeries and therapies
Complications	Only addresses the patient’s response to illness	Only addresses the disease or condition complications
Scope	Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice nurses	Healthcare providers with prescriptive authority and healthcare providers
Documentation	Nursing care plan	Patient’s medical record
Regulated By	Indian Nursing Council (INC)	Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
Duration	Continuous guidance	Once or twice during diagnosis
Ethical Considerations	Informed consent, patient care, and autonomy	Treatment accuracy and diagnostic plan
Examples	Shortness of breath, R/T respiratory infection, etc	Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, etc

From the above table, we can see that nursing and medical diagnoses differ in the way they approach healthcare.

5 Stages of the Nursing Process

To develop a nursing care plan and diagnosis, nurses follow a 5-step process. They are:

Assessing the Patient: vital signs, psychological evaluation, socio-economic evaluation, physical history.
Diagnosing the Patient: Plan development according to the assessment.
Outcome Analysis: Thoroughly analyse the effectiveness of the nursing care plan.
Implementation: Comprehensive nursing care is implemented in this stage.
Evaluation: Comparing initial goals and outcomes to assess effectiveness.

5 Stages of Medical Diagnosis

Your doctor will go through 5 stages to diagnose and prescribe medications. These steps are as follows:

Checking Medical History: Discussing current symptoms, previous conditions and treatment options.
Body Assessment: Checking vital signs such as blood pressure, heartbeat, etc.
Diagnostic Tests: X-ray, MRI, CT scan based on your symptoms, vital signs and physical examination.
Test Result Interpretation: Carefully reading results to rule out differential diagnosis.
Diagnosis: Based on the above test, provide a diagnosis and discuss further steps.

Nursing and medical diagnoses differ in their approach and performance. However, they are both essential for a patient’s overall care.