Nursing care
NANDA nursing diagnosis list: domains, diagnosis types and commonly used labels
Written and reviewed by Nicole Ramirez, BSN, RN, CMSRN · 5 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
The NANDA nursing diagnosis list is a copyrighted classification maintained by INKA (formerly NANDA International); the current edition covers 2024 to 2026. Diagnoses are grouped into 13 domains and come in four types: problem-focused, risk, health promotion and syndrome. Students choose a label from clustered assessment cues, then add related factors and evidence.
Why this page explains the list instead of reprinting it
The full list, with official definitions, belongs to the NANDA-I book, which is copyrighted and revised every few years. INKA, the organization formerly called NANDA International, lists the 2024 to 2026 edition as current and says the 14th edition will add outcome statements, goals and nursing actions for each diagnosis. The number of labels changes as diagnoses are added, revised or retired, so any count copied from a website goes stale.
There is also an exam reason not to memorize it. Open RN states that the NCLEX does not test knowledge of specific NANDA-I labels. It tests the reasoning behind them: recognizing cues, clustering data, forming hypotheses and setting priorities. The labels matter for care plans in school and in charting, not as flashcards.
The 13 domains and example labels in each
In the 2021 to 2023 edition, NANDA-I grouped diagnoses into 13 domains that line up loosely with Gordon's functional health patterns. The example labels below come from Open RN's table of commonly used diagnoses; they are a sample, not the list.
| Domain | What it groups | Example labels |
|---|---|---|
| Health promotion | Health awareness and management | Ineffective health maintenance behaviors; Frail elderly syndrome |
| Nutrition | Intake, swallowing, fluids, metabolism | Impaired swallowing; Excess fluid volume; Deficient fluid volume |
| Elimination and exchange | Urinary, bowel and respiratory exchange | Urinary retention; Constipation; Impaired gas exchange |
| Activity/rest | Sleep, mobility, energy, cardiopulmonary response, self-care | Decreased cardiac output; Impaired physical mobility; Bathing self-care deficit |
| Perception/cognition | Attention, cognition, communication | Acute confusion; Deficient knowledge |
| Self-perception | Self-concept and body image | Hopelessness; Disturbed body image |
| Role relationship | Caregiving and relationships | Caregiver role strain; Impaired social interaction |
| Sexuality | Sexual function and reproduction | Sexual dysfunction |
| Coping/stress tolerance | Responses to stress and loss | Anxiety; Ineffective coping; Fear |
| Life principles | Values, beliefs, decisions | Decisional conflict; Spiritual distress |
| Safety/protection | Infection, injury, airway, skin, violence | Risk for infection; Ineffective airway clearance; Risk for adult falls |
| Comfort | Physical and social comfort | Acute pain; Nausea |
| Growth/development | Age-appropriate growth | Delayed child development |
Notice that airway clearance sits under safety, not respiratory. Domains sort diagnoses by human response, not by organ system, which is why searching the list by body system often fails.
The four types of nursing diagnosis
Every label falls into one of four types, and the type decides what the written statement must contain. Mixing these up, such as adding symptoms to a risk diagnosis as though the problem already exists, is a frequent care plan correction.
| Type | Statement parts | Hypothetical example |
|---|---|---|
| Problem-focused | Label, related factor, as evidenced by signs and symptoms | Excess fluid volume related to excessive fluid intake, as evidenced by crackles and ankle edema |
| Risk | Label and risk factors; the problem has not happened yet | Risk for adult falls as evidenced by leg weakness and fear of falling |
| Health promotion | Readiness label and the client's expressed wish | Readiness for enhanced health self-management as evidenced by asking to learn the medication schedule |
| Syndrome | Syndrome label plus two or more related diagnoses | Frail elderly syndrome with decreased activity tolerance and social isolation |
Open RN stresses that a risk diagnosis is not automatically lower priority than a problem-focused one. A client at high risk for aspiration can outrank a client with an established but stable problem.
Commonly used labels by NCLEX content area
Exam questions describe client problems by content area, so it helps to know which labels fit the usual problems in each. The right column points to library pages that cover the condition or skill in depth, so this page does not repeat them.
| Content area | Labels that often fit | Related library page |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular | Decreased cardiac output; Excess fluid volume | Heart Failure: Nursing Care, Assessment and Interventions |
| Respiratory | Impaired gas exchange; Ineffective airway clearance | COPD: Nursing Care, Assessment and Interventions |
| Renal and fluids | Deficient fluid volume | Fluid Volume Deficit: Nursing Care, Assessment and Interventions |
| Safety | Risk for adult falls; Risk for injury | Falls Risk Assessment: How to Do It and How It Is Tested |
| Skin integrity | Risk for adult pressure injury; Impaired skin integrity | Pressure Injury Risk Assessment: How to Do It and How It Is Tested |
| Comfort | Acute pain; Chronic pain | Pain Assessment: How to Do It and How It Is Tested |
| Neurological | Acute confusion | Delirium: Nursing Care, Assessment and Interventions |
| Mental health | Anxiety; Risk for suicidal behavior | Suicide Risk Assessment: How to Do It and How It Is Tested |
How to choose a label from assessment data
Work from the client, not from the list. Cluster the cues first, decide which domain the pattern belongs to, then compare the cluster against the defining characteristics in a current NANDA-I reference and pick the label that fits best. Open RN describes defining characteristics as the observable signs that make a label accurate.
Two checks catch most errors. The label must describe a human response, not a disease, so heart failure belongs in the associated condition, not the problem. And the related factor must be something nursing actions can change; if it is not, the interventions have nothing to target. Write the statement with the related factor and evidence, then rank it against the client's other diagnoses.
Sources and further reading
INKA (formerly NANDA International): NANDA-I Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification. Organization renamed INKA, 2024 to 2026 current edition, 14th edition adding outcome statements, goals and nursing actions.
Open RN Nursing Fundamentals 2e: 4.4 Diagnosis. 13 domains, four diagnosis types and their statement parts, risk diagnoses not automatically lower priority, defining characteristics, NCLEX does not test specific NANDA-I labels.
Open RN Nursing Fundamentals 2e: Appendix A, Sample NANDA-I Diagnoses. Selected commonly used 2021 to 2023 NANDA-I labels sorted by domain, used for the example labels.
The next step on this is the same as on everything else here: answer questions and read the rationales. Our fundamentals practice questions are the closest set to what this page covers.
Common questions
What are the NANDA nursing diagnoses?
They are standardized labels for clinical judgments about a client's response to health problems or life processes, maintained by INKA (formerly NANDA International). Each has a definition, defining characteristics and related or risk factors, published in the copyrighted NANDA-I book, current edition 2024 to 2026.
How many NANDA diagnoses are there?
The count changes with each edition as labels are added, revised or retired, so check the current 2024 to 2026 NANDA-I book rather than an online number. The 2021 to 2023 edition organized them into 13 domains. The NCLEX does not test the labels themselves.
What are the 4 types of nursing diagnoses?
Problem-focused (an existing problem with related factors and signs), risk (vulnerability with risk factors but no problem yet), health promotion (readiness to improve a health behavior), and syndrome (a cluster of related diagnoses best treated together).
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