Which statement defines a medical diagnosis?

• A. Identification of a disease condition based on signs and symptoms
• B. Clinical judgment by a nurse
• C. A plan of care
• D. A nursing intervention

Answer: (A)

Medical diagnosis is the identification of a disease condition based on signs, symptoms, and test results. This label names what condition the patient has, guiding treatment by the physician. It’s different from what the nurse does or plans to do.

In practice, a physician notes the disease itself—for example, pneumonia—after evaluating the clinical presentation and supporting tests. A nursing diagnosis, by contrast, describes how the patient is responding to the condition, such as impaired gas exchange or ineffective airway clearance, and it informs the nursing care plan. A plan of care outlines the overall goals and steps to manage the patient’s health problem, while a nursing intervention is a specific action the nurse performs to support the patient.