Self-care deficit theory and nursing diagnosis: a test of conceptual fit

Conceptual frameworks and nursing diagnoses represent recent additions to nursing's theoretical base, but their relationship and potential to interface has not been explored. This study describes the results of 130 registered nurse baccalaureate students' integration of current North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) nursing diagnoses into major concepts of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory (SCDT). It identifies areas of agreement and difficulty inherent in this challenge, and suggests directions for needed theoretical work.