Nursing Practice Problem & Medical Practice Problem
Nursing practice and medical practice problems differ. Whereas a nursing practice problem deals with a nursing diagnosis, a medical practice problem deals with a medical diagnosis (Grove & Gray, 2018). A nursing diagnosis focuses on a patient’s response to a potential or actual health concern. Thus, a nursing practice problem involves the clinical judgment about a patient, family, or community observed during nursing assessments. Studies by (Ackley et al., 2019) show that nursing practice problems guide nurses in choosing the appropriate interventions to achieve the best possible outcome in the patient’s care or treatment plan. Examples of patient concerns in nursing practice include acute pain, depression, stress and anxiety, self-care deficit, etc. For example, nursing care problems of suicidal ideation, excessive worry, impaired verbal communication, risk of falls, tempers, and interrupted family support provide a holistic comprehension of the effect of a particular condition on a patient. Also, this understanding helps in choosing the best interventions to include in the patient’s treatment plan. On the other hand, a medical diagnosis focuses on a medical condition or a disease to collect data about the patient’s pathology (Grove & Gray, 2018). For example, a medical diagnosis of Cerebrovascular Attack (CVA) or stock gives data about the patient’s pathology. Unlike a nursing practice problem, a medical practice problem is managed non-interventionally. PICOT questions are based on nursing practice problems rather than medical practice problems. This is because a clinical question must be directly relevant to the patient’s problem at hand and designed in a manner that facilitates an evidence-based search for the answer. This process is made easier via PICO, whose significance is only evident for well-built clinical questions (Ackley et al., 2019). Also, PICOY and clinical questions form part of evidence-based practice nursing, implying that PICOT has to be based on a nursing practice problem.
References
- Ackley, B. J., Ladwig, G. B., Makic, M. B. F., Martinez-Kratz, M., & Zanotti, M. (2019). Nursing diagnosis handbook E-book: An evidence-based guide to planning care. Elsevier Health Sciences.
- Grove, S. K., & Gray, J. R. (2018). Understanding nursing research e-book: Building an evidence-based practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.