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This article is based on a presentation given by the author at a conference in Lérida in 1995 which attempts, among other things, to clarify the significance of the term "diagnosis" as used by the nursing profession. Diagnosis implies many things to a nurse. For example, the diagnosis is one stage in the journey to a desired goal, the diagnosis is a process to produce a decision, a diagnosis can be the expressed product in a conclusion. Other though provoking ideas are also presented such as the need to develop a conceptual framework to guide our actions, the inherent complexity in the diagnostic process, and the necessity of critical thinking in our reasoning skills, etc.