The use of Bayesian statistical techniques is an approach that is well accepted and established in fields outside of nursing as a paradigm to reduce the uncertainty present in a given clinical situation. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance regarding the specific use of the Bayesian paradigm in the analysis of nursing diagnoses. The steps and interpretations of Bayesian analysis are discussed. One theoretical and one practical example of Bayesian analysis of nursing diagnoses are presented. It describes how the Bayesian approach can be used to summarize the available knowledge and make point and interval estimates of the true probability of a nursing diagnosis. It was concluded that the application of Bayesian statistical methods is an important tool for more accurate definition of probabilities related to nursing diagnoses.
Nursing diagnosis; Methodology; Statistical analysis
