Can Nurses Diagnose Their Patients?

In this episode of The Functional Nurse podcast, host Brigitte Sager, DNP, explores the common misconception that registered nurses (RNs) cannot diagnose patients. Brigitte addresses this misconception by distinguishing between medical diagnoses and nursing diagnoses and explains how nursing diagnoses align with the holistic and functional medicine approach.

Key highlights include:

The differences between medical and nursing diagnoses, with an emphasis on how functional medicine focuses on the "why" behind health conditions rather than just the symptoms.

The use of NANDA stems in nursing diagnoses, offering examples that connect nursing diagnoses to nutrition, functional medicine, and patient care.

How nursing diagnoses fit within the scope of nursing practice and the importance of applying the nursing process (ADPIE) when caring for patients.

Empowering nurses to use their foundational nursing skills to support holistic patient care and how this process plays a crucial role in functional medicine.

Brigitte encourages nurses to feel confident in their ability to assess and diagnose patients within the scope of nursing practice and develop effective care plans based on the root causes of health concerns.

 

Hosted by Brigitte Sager, NP, a functional medicine nurse practitioner, nurse coach, and an RN and NP FM educator.

 

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Be well!