Description:
<jats:p> The purpose of this article is to stimulate discussion and further investigation about the nature and meaning of nursing diagnosis. Premises that place nursing diagnosis within the framework of self-care deficit nursing theory are presented. Also presented are propositions about nurses as diagnosticians, the process features of nursing diagnosis, and propositions about nursing diagnostic questions. The intellectual/cognitive processes essential to nursing diagnosis are discussed and investigative questions for nursing diagnostic stages proposed. </jats:p>