Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook
Makic, Martinez-Kratz · 13th Edition
Complete chapter-by-chapter study guide aligned with Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook (13th Edition). Includes summaries, learning objectives, and NCLEX-style practice questions for all 15 chapters.
Overview
Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 13th Edition, is the care-planning reference nursing students reach for when they have to turn an assessment into a defensible plan of care, and this study guide is built to match how the handbook actually works. It follows the book's structure: Section I on making a nursing diagnosis with the nursing process and evidence-based nursing, Section II's guide that maps symptoms, medical diagnoses, and clinical states to suggested nursing diagnoses, and the care-plan section organized by the NANDA-International domains — Health Promotion, Nutrition, Elimination and Exchange, Activity/Rest, Perception/Cognition, Self-Perception, Role Relationships, Sexuality, Coping/Stress Tolerance, Life Principles, Safety/Protection, Comfort, and Growth/Development. For each section you get a plain-English summary of what it does and how to use it, a short list of objectives so you know what to master, and NCLEX-style practice questions with a full rationale for every option, written to build the clinical judgment the Next Generation NCLEX now tests directly. Because the handbook is a reference rather than a chaptered narrative, the guide focuses on the skills that matter: choosing an accurate diagnosis, linking it to NOC outcomes and NIC interventions, and writing goals you can measure. You will practice moving from client data to a prioritized problem list, then defending why one diagnosis fits better than another. Each section is short enough to review in a sitting and printable so you can annotate it beside your own care plans. Use it to prepare for care-plan assignments, clinical paperwork, and diagnosis-focused exam items throughout the program, and you will get faster at turning messy assessment data into a clean, prioritized plan. It is a companion you can keep and reuse every clinical rotation. Original, independently written, and not affiliated with the publisher.
Aligned with fundamentals and care-planning courses and the clinical-judgment focus of the Next Generation NCLEX-RN, with questions that mirror how nursing diagnosis and prioritization are tested.
- 450+ practice questions
- 15 chapters
- ~120 pages
- Instant PDF download
What you'll learn
The major topics this guide walks you through, matched to the textbook's order:
- The nursing process and clinical judgment
- Making an accurate nursing diagnosis
- Evidence-based nursing care
- NANDA-International diagnosis domains
- Linking diagnoses to NOC outcomes
- Selecting NIC interventions
- Writing measurable client goals
- Prioritizing problems from assessment data
- Health promotion and safety/protection diagnoses
- Nutrition and elimination diagnoses
- Coping and stress-tolerance diagnoses
- Comfort and pain-related diagnoses
- Activity, rest, and mobility diagnoses
- Documenting and defending a care plan
Need the textbook itself?
The handbook itself, edited by Mary Beth Flynn Makic and Marina Reyna Martinez-Kratz, is an alphabetical, evidence-based care-planning reference that links more than a thousand client symptoms and conditions to NANDA-I diagnoses with NOC outcomes and NIC interventions.
Buy new, rent, or find a used copy of Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook below. Make sure you get the 13th Edition — editions differ, so double-check the ISBN on the listing before you order. We earn a small commission if you buy through these links — your price is unchanged.
Chapters covered
Every chapter below is fully covered in the PDF — summary, learning objectives, key terms, and NCLEX-style practice questions with rationales.
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What exactly do I get?
A printable PDF study guide covering all 15 chapters of Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook (13th Edition) — chapter summaries, learning objectives, and NCLEX-style practice questions with rationales. One file, lifetime access, no subscription.
How soon will I get it?
Instantly. A download link appears on screen and lands in your inbox the moment your payment clears.
Does this match the 13th Edition specifically?
Yes — it is built around the 13th Edition and follows its section structure and the NANDA-International domain organization of its care plans. Earlier editions use the same overall approach, so much of the guide still applies.
The handbook is a reference — how does a study guide help?
Because it is a reference, the guide teaches the skills you are graded on: choosing the right diagnosis, prioritizing, and linking outcomes and interventions, then quizzes you with rationales rather than trying to reproduce the whole book.
Will it match my edition?
This guide is built around the 13th Edition. If your class uses a different edition, chapter numbering may shift slightly, but the topics and learning objectives are usually unchanged.
Do I still need the textbook?
The study guide is a companion, not a replacement — it helps you study efficiently and review fast, but you'll still want the textbook for full depth and any assigned readings. You can buy new, rent, or find a used copy through the price links on this page.
What if it is not what I expected?
Every purchase is backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee — email us within 14 days for a full refund.
Is this a test bank or copied from the textbook?
No. This is an original study guide written to align with Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook — summaries, objectives, and practice questions with rationales, not a reproduced publisher test bank or copied text.
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About this study guide
This is an original study guide written to align with the topics and learning objectives covered in Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook (13th Edition) by Makic, Martinez-Kratz. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed by the publisher or the textbook's authors. All summaries, practice questions, and explanations are independently authored.