Validation of nursing diagnoses: the differential diagnostic model as strategy

Objective: to analyze the contribution and limits of the use of Richard Fehring’s differential diagnostic validation model, as a methodological strategy in the validation of diagnoses. Method: theoretical review about the differential diagnostic validation model for the validation of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses. Results: the nursing diagnosis constitutes the step that precedes and promotes the appropriate nursing intervention. The correct identification of the diagnosis is fundamental for effective interventions.The presentation of a structured classification of diagnoses, such as for example the taxonomy II of NANDA-I, facilitates the clinical judgment of the nurse. It is necessary that the diagnoses are clear and that the defining characteristics are specific, and the validation studies contribute to this objective. Conclusions: the differential diagnostic validation model permits the validation of differences between diagnoses with very similar meanings; however, it is little known and applied in the validation studies. It is a methodology that can be useful for the accuracy of diagnoses and for contribution to the current discussion of taxonomy II and its new proposals.