title: Utilization of nursing diagnosis in three Australian hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document nursing diagnoses on nursing care plans in an Australian context where NANDA nursing diagnoses were utilized.
  
  
  METHODS
  An audit of 198 nursing care plans at three selected hospitals by three university lecturers involved in teaching nursing diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pain was the nursing diagnosis most often documented; the majority of other diagnoses pertained to physical problems experienced by patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this research add to the knowledge of nursing diagnosis utilization and have implications for the provision of nursing care and its teaching and research.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nursing and Health Care Practices, Faculty of Health Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Chard
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elliot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009731:Nursing Audit; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D010347:Patient Care Planning