PES Format Nursing Diagnosis: How to Write It (+ Generator)

PES statement generator

Choose a diagnosis to get started.

How to write it by diagnosis type

Type	Structure	Example
Problem-focused	Label + related to factors + as evidenced by defining characteristics	Impaired physical mobility related to pain and joint stiffness as evidenced by slow gait and difficulty turning in bed.
Risk	Label + related to risk factors (no "as evidenced by")	Risk for adult falls related to sedative use, unsafe footwear and dizziness when standing up.
Health promotion	Label + as evidenced by the expressed desire to improve	Readiness for enhanced health self-management as evidenced by expressed desire to learn how to manage blood glucose at home.
Syndrome	Label + related to factors (its manifestations are other diagnoses)	Elder frailty syndrome related to physical inactivity and malnutrition.

Step by step

Assess and cluster the data. Group the abnormal findings that explain each other: for example, high respiratory rate, accessory muscle use and shallow breathing.
Choose the label. Find the diagnosis that best describes that cluster in the NANDA-I 2024-2026 list. Check its type.
Write the etiology. State the cause you can act on as a nurse, not the medical diagnosis.
Write the signs and symptoms. Concrete, measurable data: numbers, scale scores, and the patient's own words in quotation marks.
Review it. It should read as one sentence, and each part should support the others.

Mistakes instructors correct most often

Using the medical diagnosis as the cause: "related to pneumonia."
Adding "as evidenced by" to a risk diagnosis.
Repeating the label in the etiology: "Acute pain related to pain."
Vague signs and symptoms: "patient is anxious," "reports discomfort."
Using labels or codes from the previous edition without checking whether they changed. See the equivalents.

Complete examples

Risk for infection · 00004 Hyperthermia · 00007 Excessive fluid volume · 00026 Impaired gas exchange · 00030 Ineffective airway clearance · 00031 Ineffective breathing pattern · 00032 Risk for aspiration · 00039 Risk for impaired skin integrity · 00047 Impaired verbal communication · 00051 Impaired physical mobility · 00085 Impaired swallowing · 00103 Acute pain · 00132 Risk for acute confusion · 00173 Risk for ineffective cerebral tissue perfusion · 00201 Ineffective peripheral tissue perfusion · 00204 Risk for shock · 00205 Risk for ineffective peripheral tissue perfusion · 00228 Ineffective health self-management · 00276 Decreased activity tolerance · 00298 Risk for adult falls · 00303 Decreased self-care ability syndrome · 00331 Risk for physical injury · 00336 Inadequate nutritional intake · 00343 Risk for excessive bleeding · 00374 Ineffective nausea self-management · 00384 Excessive anxiety · 00400 Risk for inadequate fluid volume · 00420 Inadequate fluid volume · 00421 Inadequate health knowledge · 00435 Excessive fatigue burden · 00477 Risk for ineffective blood glucose pattern self-management · 00489

Frequently asked questions

What does PES stand for in a nursing diagnosis?

Problem, Etiology and Signs/Symptoms: the NANDA-I label, the related factors ("related to") and the defining characteristics you found ("as evidenced by").

What do "related to" and "as evidenced by" mean?

"Related to" introduces the cause or contributing factor; "as evidenced by" introduces the data you observed or the patient reported.

Do risk nursing diagnoses have an "as evidenced by" part?

No. They only list risk factors, because the problem has not developed yet.

Can I use a medical diagnosis as the "related to" part?

Not as a related factor: the disease is an associated condition. The related factor must be something nursing can act on.

Guide and examples: written by our editorial team, based on the structure of the NANDA-I 2024-2026 taxonomy. Reviewed November 2, 2026.