Nurse practitioners' use of nursing diagnosis

The role of the nurse practitioner (NP) represents a unique blend of nursing and medical functions. Few studies exist that address the nursing component of the NP role and no literature is available to document the extent to which nurse practitioners utilize nursing diagnoses in their clinical practice. Thus, the author reports findings of a study that sought to describe the use of nursing diagnosis in current NP practice and to identify advantages and barriers to the use of nursing diagnoses by NPs. Fifteen percent of nurses surveyed used nursing diagnoses in their practice. The diagnoses most commonly used reflected attention to clients' lifestyles and daily living problems.