Validation of Nursing Management Diagnoses

Abstract

Nursing management diagnosis based on nursing and management science, merges "nursing diagnosis" and "organizational diagnosis". Nursing management diagnosis is a judgment about nursing organizational problems. The diagnoses provide a basis for nurse manager interventions to achieve outcomes for which a nurse manager is accountable. A nursing organizational problem is a discrepancy between what should be happening and what is actually happening that prevents the goals of nursing from being accomplished. The purpose of this study was to validate 73 nursing management diagnoses identified previously in 1992: 71 of the 72 diagnoses were considered valid by at least 70% of 136 participants. Diagnoses considered to have high priority for future research and development were identified by summing the mean scores for perceived frequency of occurrence and level of disruption. Further development of nursing management diagnoses and testing of their effectiveness in enhancing decision making is recommended.

Viewpoint

“…Organizations function in ways similar to communities and families and have processes not unlike the physiological and psychosocial processes of individuals. Previous attempts to capture the concept of nursing diagnosis for organizations have been labeled nursing management diagnoses (e.g., Morrison, 1995; Morrison & Keyes, 1989). Many of the elements of the management diagnoses are focused on the nurse rather than the client.…”

“…The concept is handled most often as diagnosis of an organization. Morrison (1995) reviewed several of these, including Hain and Tubbs (1974), Sturner (1990), and Weisbord (1978). In each case, the approach is to diagnose organizational problems and identifiy potential for change thereby diagnosing gaps between the current state and the desired state.…”

“…We propose that a major area of nursing practice is omitted—that of management/administration. In order to address this omission, after review of the literature on related topics including management nursing diagnoses (Morrison, 1995; Morrison & Keyes, 1989), the Nursing Management Minimum Data Set (Huber, Schumacher, & Delaney, 1997), organizational processes, and leadership practices, we concluded that there exists a need for two revisions pertinent to the Taxonomy: the development of a fifth domain, Administrative, and the development of a new nursing diagnostic category, Organization Nursing Diagnoses.…”

Evidence-based management: a literature review

“…Rather than explicitly using ‘EBM’ with regard to nursing management practice, Morrison (1995) favoured the utilization of ‘nursing management diagnosis’. Examples of diagnoses included ‘ineffective communication’, ‘ineffective change management’, ‘inadequate leadership skills’ and ‘excessive paperwork’.…”

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‘Once problems are identified, nurse managers can proceed to plan change to resolve the problems. Generating and testing of interventions for the diagnoses will further enhance nurse manager decision‐making’ (Morrison 1995).

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