Nursing diagnosis in the North Carolina public health system: a statewide project

A group of North Carolina public health nursing leaders initiated a two-phase process of providing a continuing education module on nursing diagnosis for all public health nurses in the state. In the first phase the authors developed the module to teach the skill of nursing diagnosis and evaluation tools, and statewide workshops were held to teach public health nurse administrators and nurse consultants how to use it with their staffs. Results of the evaluation revealed a significant increase in cognitive learning and a more positive attitude overall toward nursing diagnosis among 148 participants. Written comments revealed two major concerns for using nursing diagnoses: the need for additional practice, and charting issues. Both were addressed in this project. Phase two, in which administrative nurses are using the module to teach nursing diagnoses to their staffs, is under way.