During the nursing process, which activity is characteristic of the diagnosis phase rather than assessment?

• A. Analyzing data to identify health problems
• B. Collecting subjective data
• C. Measuring vital signs
• D. Documenting data in the chart

Answer: (A)

The important distinction here is between gathering data and interpreting it to identify health problems. During assessment you collect and verify information, such as subjective reports from the patient and objective measurements like vital signs, and you document what you find. The diagnosis phase comes after this, when you analyze the collected data, look for patterns, and determine the nursing problems that need to be addressed. That interpretive step is what leads to nursing diagnoses, often using a framework like PES (Problem, Etiology, Symptoms) to articulate the identified issues and their causes.

So, analyzing data to identify health problems is the step that best fits the diagnosis phase. The other activities—collecting subjective data, measuring vital signs, and documenting data—are all parts of the assessment process, not the phase where you interpret data to form diagnoses.