Comparison of perceived general health status between suspected and confirmed cases of COVID‐19 and identifying the nursing diagnoses: A cross‐sectional study

AIM: This study aimed to examine the differences in health status between patients with confirmed COVID‐19 and those suspected (other diagnosis) and to identify nursing diagnoses using a structured checklist from a hospital in China. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study design was used. METHODS: One hundred sixty COVID‐19 confirmed, and suspected patients were conveniently selected. A structured survey and checklist were utilized. Independent t test and chi‐square test were employed to compare the mean between patients with confirmed coronavirus infection and others. A two‐sided p‐value of .05 or less is considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study yielded a response rate of 93.6%. The result indicated that patients with confirmed coronavirus infection have a higher proportion of perceived General Health Status than inpatients with suspected (other) diagnoses. The finding also indicated that ineffective airway clearance, hyperthermia, imbalanced nutrition less than body requirement and sleep pattern disturbance were the main nursing diagnoses identified.