Nursing Diagnosis Examples
🎓 Educational study aid — NOT medical advice. Use fictional/initials data only.
A nursing diagnosis example is a clinical-judgment statement written in PES format — Problem related to Etiology as evidenced by Signs/symptoms. Seeing worked examples side by side is often the fastest way to internalize the format, so this page covers the three diagnosis types, then lines up examples across the body systems students see most in clinical.
CarePlanKit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with NANDA International. The examples below describe common clinical patterns in our own plain-English wording as a general learning aid, not as official NANDA-I diagnostic labels, definitions, or codes.
The 3 types of nursing diagnosis, in plain English
Before the examples make sense, it helps to know which of three buckets a diagnosis falls into.
- Problem-focused (actual) — a problem the patient has right now, proven by signs and symptoms you actually observed. This is the type you'll write most often as a student.
- Risk — a problem the patient doesn't have yet, but is more likely to develop because of specific vulnerabilities: age, a device, a medication, reduced mobility. Nothing has happened yet, so there's nothing to cite as evidence — you list risk factors instead.
- Health-promotion — no problem at all. The patient is already stable and has told you, directly or indirectly, that they want to reach a higher level of wellness — better nutrition, stronger coping, more understanding of a chronic condition.
For a deeper walkthrough of all four categories (including syndrome diagnoses), see types of nursing diagnosis.
The PES format, piece by piece
Every problem-focused example on this page follows the same three-part structure:
[Problem] related to [Etiology] as evidenced by [Signs/symptoms]
Example: Acute pain related to surgical incision as evidenced by patient report of 7/10 pain and guarding of the abdomen.
- Problem — the patient response you've identified, in plain clinical language.
- Etiology — the "related to" clause: the likely cause or contributing factor for this patient.
- Signs/symptoms — the "as evidenced by" clause: the concrete assessment findings that prove the problem exists today.
8 worked nursing diagnosis examples in PES format
These examples span the body systems students rotate through most often. Each one is a plain-English illustration of a common clinical pattern, not a diagnosis lifted from an official list.
| Body system | Worked PES example |
|---|---|
| Respiratory | Impaired gas exchange related to fluid accumulation in the alveoli as evidenced by oxygen saturation of 88% on room air and crackles on auscultation. |
| Cardiovascular | Decreased cardiac output related to reduced ventricular contractility as evidenced by blood pressure of 88/56, weak peripheral pulses, and capillary refill greater than 3 seconds. |
| Gastrointestinal | Imbalanced nutrition, less than body requirements, related to decreased appetite from chemotherapy as evidenced by a 10-pound weight loss over one month and reported intake of less than half of meals. |
| Genitourinary | Impaired urinary elimination related to an indwelling catheter as evidenced by cloudy, foul-smelling urine and patient report of suprapubic discomfort. |
| Musculoskeletal / mobility | Impaired physical mobility related to post-operative pain and joint stiffness as evidenced by reduced range of motion and reluctance to bear weight on the affected leg. |
| Neurological | Acute confusion related to a urinary tract infection as evidenced by disorientation to time and place and a sudden change from baseline mental status. |
| Integumentary (skin) | Impaired skin integrity related to prolonged pressure over the sacrum as evidenced by a stage 2 pressure injury with partial-thickness skin loss. |
| Psychosocial | Anxiety related to an unfamiliar diagnosis and upcoming surgery as evidenced by patient report of "feeling on edge," rapid speech, and a heart rate of 108. |
| Safety (risk example) | Risk for falls related to unsteady gait, new sedative medication, and unfamiliar hospital environment. No "as evidenced by" clause — see below. |
| Wellness (health-promotion example) | Readiness for enhanced knowledge related to expressed interest in managing a new type 2 diabetes diagnosis through diet and self-monitoring. |
Notice the last two rows look different on purpose — they're not problem-focused, so they don't follow the same three-part shape. That's covered next.
Why the risk example skips "as evidenced by"
A risk diagnosis names a problem the patient hasn't developed yet, so there's nothing observable to point to as proof — no low oxygen reading, no wound, no abnormal lab value. Writing "as evidenced by" on a risk diagnosis is a common student mistake, because you'd be citing evidence for something that, by definition, hasn't happened.
Instead, a risk statement lists the risk factors — the specific things about this patient that make the problem more likely. The format shrinks to two parts:
Risk for [problem] related to [risk factors]
Example: Risk for infection related to a surgical incision and an indwelling urinary catheter. No signs/symptoms clause, because the infection hasn't occurred — the catheter and incision are the risk factors that make it more likely.
Nursing diagnosis vs. medical diagnosis
It's easy to blur these together early in a program, but they answer different questions. A medical diagnosis names the disease or medical condition itself — pneumonia, a hip fracture, type 2 diabetes. A physician or advanced practice provider makes it, and it generally stays fixed for the entire admission. A nursing diagnosis names how this specific patient is responding to that condition or to a life event, is identified by the nurse from assessment data, and can change from one shift to the next.
Side by side: medical diagnosis "pneumonia" might produce the nursing diagnosis "impaired gas exchange related to fluid in the alveoli as evidenced by low oxygen saturation and crackles." The medical diagnosis explains what disease is present; the nursing diagnosis explains what the nurse is actually treating day to day.
Turn any example into a full plan → the free Care Plan Builder takes a diagnosis like the ones above and assembles goals, interventions, and rationale around it.
Once the PES format feels natural, the next steps are how to write a nursing care plan, which walks through building goals and interventions on top of a diagnosis, and the fuller nursing diagnosis list, which groups more examples by body system. For the category-level differences between problem-focused, risk, health-promotion, and syndrome diagnoses, see types of nursing diagnosis.
Educational content for nursing students — not medical advice.
From example to full care plan
CarePlanKit turns any nursing diagnosis into a complete care plan with goals, interventions, and rationale — free to start.
Build a care plan freeNursing diagnosis examples: FAQ
What is an example of a nursing diagnosis?
A typical example in PES format looks like: "Impaired gas exchange related to fluid accumulation in the alveoli as evidenced by oxygen saturation of 88% and crackles on auscultation." The problem names the patient response, "related to" names the likely cause, and "as evidenced by" lists the proof from your assessment.
What are the 3 parts of a nursing diagnosis?
Problem, etiology, and signs/symptoms — often shortened to PES. The problem is the patient response you've identified, the etiology is the likely cause or contributing factor, and the signs/symptoms are the specific assessment findings that prove the problem is present right now.
How is a risk nursing diagnosis example different?
A risk example drops the "as evidenced by" section entirely, since the problem hasn't happened yet. Instead it lists the risk factors that make this patient vulnerable — for example, "Risk for falls related to unsteady gait and new sedative medication," with no signs/symptoms clause because there's nothing to observe yet.
Is a nursing diagnosis the same as a medical diagnosis?
No. A medical diagnosis names the disease itself, like pneumonia or a hip fracture, and is made by a physician. A nursing diagnosis names how this specific patient is responding to that condition, is written by the nurse from assessment data, and can change from shift to shift as the response changes.
Are these official NANDA-I nursing diagnoses?
No. CarePlanKit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NANDA International. The examples on this page describe common clinical patterns in our own plain-English wording as a general study aid, not as official NANDA-I labels, definitions, or codes.
For nursing education only — NOT medical advice and not a clinical decision-making tool. Nothing here should be used to assess, diagnose, or treat any real patient. Care plans and answers are unverified study drafts to review with your instructor or a licensed clinician and adapt to the individual patient and your institution’s protocols before any use.