Clarifying the Theoretical Foundation for the Concept of Diagnosis and Its Relevance in Nursing: A Discussion Paper

The purpose is to explore and clarify the theoretical foundation for the diagnosis concept and its relevance in nursing. We adopted a meta-theoretical approach, including conceptual analysis. A purposive sampling, obtained from a literature search, provided insights into what is known, or unclear. While medical diagnoses focus mostly on etiological aspects, nursing diagnoses focus more on care. We identified suffering, adaptation, and biopsychosocial conditions as essential requirements for the concept's ontological status. To enhance practice, nursing diagnoses demand clinical thinking, logical reasoning and causal hypotheses. Both procedures in medicine and nursing are critical in delivering adequate health care and collaboration.