| Course | NSG 122 Nursing Fundamental Concepts |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Patient problem statement worksheet |
| Length | About 790 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 122 Unit 2
From Grouped Findings to Four Problem Statements, and Two the Data Will Not Support: A Worksheet for an 84-Year-Old Man Admitted With Fluid Loss
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 122: Nursing Fundamental Concepts
Instructor Name
January 21, 2026
From Grouped Findings to Four Problem Statements, and Two the Data Will Not Support: A Worksheet for an 84-Year-Old Man Admitted With Fluid Loss
The Case Data
The patient is the same composite 84-year-old man from Unit 1, on the afternoon of his first hospital day. Data gathered at admission and since:
Illness: vomiting for three days, ended yesterday; two watery stools so far today. Stopped drinking because fluids "came straight back up." Measurements: weight down 2.9 kg from his clinic record (now 64.1 kg); when he stood, systolic pressure dropped from 124 to 102 and pulse climbed from 88 to 108, with dizziness; tongue dry and furrowed; urine dark amber, only 180 mL since admission eight hours ago; sodium and urea nitrogen above range. Lines: intravenous infusion in the left forearm. Movement: four-wheeled walker at home; one person needed to help him up; short, slow steps; Morse Fall Scale total 60. Skin: perianal area red and moist, no breaks; stings after each stool. Thinking: oriented to person, place, and time, but his daughter says he answers more slowly than usual. Other: "I don't want to be a bother, so I didn't press the button." Lives alone; daughter visits twice a week. Poor appetite for three days.
Findings Grouped Before Any Statement Is Written
Group A (fluid): vomiting and diarrhea, stopped drinking, weight loss, blood pressure fall and heart rate rise on standing, dry tongue, low dark urine, raised sodium and urea nitrogen.
Group B (movement and safety): dizziness on standing, needs one person to stand, walker at home, short slow steps, intravenous line, Morse score 60, reluctance to call for help.
Group C (bowel): two watery stools today, three days of loose stools.
Group D (skin): perianal redness, moist, intact, stinging after stools; continuing loose stools.
Group E (other): poor appetite for three days; slower to answer; lives alone.
Statement 1 (actual)
Problem: Deficient fluid volume.
Related to: losses from the gut over three days, combined with drinking almost nothing.
As evidenced by: orthostatic change (systolic down 22, pulse up 20, dizzy); scant, concentrated urine (180 mL in 8 hours); 2.9 kg below his usual weight; furrowed, dry tongue; sodium and urea nitrogen above the reference range.
Statement 2 (actual)
Problem: Diarrhea.
Related to: presumed infectious process of the gut (per admitting history).
As evidenced by: two watery stools today; three days of loose stools.
Statement 3 (risk)
Problem: Risk for falls.
Risk factors: dizziness on standing with a fall in blood pressure; need for assistance to stand; use of a walker; short, slow steps; intravenous line; urgency to reach the toilet with diarrhea; reluctance to call for help; Morse Fall Scale score of 60, above the high-risk cutoff of 45 used by the scale's developers (Morse et al., 1989).
No "as evidenced by" line appears because a risk statement has no signs yet. He has not fallen. If he falls, this becomes an actual problem with evidence.
Statement 4 (risk)
Problem: Risk for impaired skin integrity.
Risk factors: continuing watery stools; moist perianal skin; redness and stinging after stools; reduced fluid intake.
Written as a risk because the skin is red but intact. The course text distinguishes intact but reddened skin from broken skin (Potter et al., 2023); once any break appears, the statement changes to impaired skin integrity with that break as evidence.
Statements the Data Will Not Support
Imbalanced nutrition, less than body requirements: set aside. Three days of poor appetite during an acute illness are real, but his weight loss is explained by fluid loss, and there is no data on his usual diet, protein intake, or weight trend over months. A nutritional screen tomorrow could change this.
Acute confusion: set aside. He is slower to answer, but he is oriented and gives an accurate history. Naming confusion would go beyond the data. The slowness is recorded and will be watched, since dehydration can affect thinking in older adults.
How the Four Statements Relate
The four statements are not independent. Diarrhea feeds the fluid deficit and keeps the perianal skin moist. The fluid deficit causes the fall in blood pressure on standing, which is the strongest single risk factor for a fall. Diarrhea also adds urgency, which makes a man who does not want to be a bother more likely to get up alone. For that reason the fluid statement is listed first: as it improves, the falls risk and the skin risk should both ease. Writing the statements separately still matters, because each needs its own goal and its own actions, and each could resolve on a different day.
Note
The case is a composite. Problem labels and the actual-versus-risk format follow the course's classification text (Herdman et al., 2024).
References
Herdman, T. H., Kamitsuru, S., & Takáo Lopes, C. (Eds.). (2024). NANDA International nursing diagnoses: Definitions and classification, 2024-2026 (13th ed.). Thieme.
Morse, J. M., Morse, R. M., & Tylko, S. J. (1989). Development of a scale to identify the fall-prone patient. Canadian Journal on Aging, 8(4), 366-377. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0714980800008576
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2023). Fundamentals of nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.
NSG 122 Unit 2 instructions, in plain terms
Unit 2 asks you to write problem statements from grouped patient data. Expect to present the data, cluster findings, write actual and risk statements in the required format, set aside statements the data cannot support and explain how problems relate. Many versions ask how to tell an actual problem from a risk and how many statements to write. Check whether your section uses NANDA labels. An actual problem has defining characteristics present now; a risk problem has risk factors but no signs yet. Cluster first, then name. Rejecting unsupported statements shows judgment. Problems often feed each other, so explain the links. Keep the patient consistent with the earlier unit.
How this NSG 122 Unit 2 example is built
The worksheet opens with the case data from the patient's first afternoon. The grouping section clusters findings into four labeled groups before any statement appears, which shows the reasoning order. Each statement section gives the label, related or risk factors and evidence, in the course format. The rejected statements section explains why two plausible labels are not supported, such as nutrition after only three days of poor intake. The relationships section shows how diarrhea feeds the fluid deficit and both raise fall risk. Every statement traces back to a named cluster, so the worksheet works as reasoning rather than a list of labels.
Reading the NSG 122 Unit 2 rubric
Herzing's rubric for a problem statement set typically covers clustering of data, correct format, accuracy of labels, distinction between actual and risk problems, judgment about unsupported statements and relationships. Format is read statement by statement: the label, related or risk factors and evidence must each sit in the right place. Clustering points reward grouping before naming. Actual and risk criteria look for correct use of each type, with evidence only in actual statements. Judgment earns credit when unsupported statements are set aside with reasons. Relationship points go to links between problems, such as diarrhea worsening the fluid deficit. The case should match the earlier unit exactly. Concise statements are preferred over long ones. NANDA labels follow Herdman and colleagues' current edition.
NSG 122 Unit 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Problem statement sets in Unit 2 commonly lose points by writing a medical diagnosis, such as gastroenteritis, as a nursing problem. Another frequent problem is a risk statement that lists evidence, which belongs only in actual statements. Students often skip clustering and write statements from single findings. Related factors restate the problem in different words. Unsupported labels are included because they sound plausible. Relationships between problems are ignored. The case changes from the earlier unit. Labels from an old NANDA edition are used. Too many statements dilute the worksheet. Finally, set aside labels the data will not support, because graders reward judgment about what the evidence actually shows rather than one that names every possible problem.
Get a NSG 122 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 2 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 122 classroom, along with the case data the assignment provides. We write a custom example that groups the findings first, keeps the evidence under each statement, separates risk from actual and names the statements the case will not support. First custom sample free, delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
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NSG 122 Unit 2 questions, answered
How many statements should the set contain?
Meet whatever count the instructions set, and if they set none, let the case decide. Four statements the data clearly carries usually read better than eight thinned out to reach a number. Each one has to survive a reader asking which finding put it there, so extra entries tend to cost more than they add.
Does the wording have to match a standard list?
Most sections say yes and name the reference, so read the instructions before writing. Where a list is named, use its labels exactly rather than a close paraphrase, since a marker is comparing your phrasing against that source. Where no list is named, keep the same shape across every statement so the set stays consistent.
Can a finding appear in more than one statement?
Often it can, and saying so is more honest than splitting the evidence artificially. Breathlessness can support one problem and contribute to another, and writing it in both places with a short note about the overlap shows you noticed. What weakens the set is the same finding carrying two statements that are really one problem twice.
Where can I find a free NSG 122 Unit 2 sample paper?
Read the complete NSG 122 Unit 2 problem statement worksheet here at no charge, clusters, four statements and two set aside. Your own case data can anchor a custom worksheet.
What is the difference between an actual and a risk nursing diagnosis?
An actual problem has signs present now, written with evidence; a risk problem has risk factors but no signs yet. This sample writes two of each for an older man with fluid loss.