Ineffective airway clearance and ineffective breathing patterns: theoretical and research base for nursing diagnosis

This article addresses the conceptual approach to nursing diagnosis in general and the theoretical and research base for these two nursing diagnoses. Pertinent issues concerning the use of nursing diagnoses in clinical practice are presented within the framework of the nursing process. This is followed by a review of mechanisms of airway clearance and normal breathing patterns which form the theoretical basis for the subsequent articles on alterations in airway clearance and breathing patterns.