NANDA nursing diagnoses identification and validation in a neonatal unit.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the problems nurses encounter in a Neonatal Unit and adapt them to the corresponding NANDA (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association) diagnostic categories for their validation in our environment. DESIGN: A Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was developed to identify the problems that nurses detect and solve. Identified problems were catalogued with their corresponding diagnostic label using the NANDA diagnostic taxonomy. A concordance study was carried out between two observers, using the Kappa coefficient. RESULTS: During the study period, 36 different NANDA diagnostic categories were identified for use. From these, 5 have been validated with an excellent or good concordance (K > 0.70) and 2 with an average concordance (0.70 > K > 0.40). The remaining categories did not occur with enough frequency during the study period to apply statistical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic categories validated in our Unit occur frequently, are easily identified by the nurses, and can be used in patient care plans. Non-validated categories may become valid in subsequent studies.