What is the purpose of prognostic validity in nursing diagnoses and what statistical techniques are used to establish it?

Key points

• Prognostic validity relies on diagnostic cohort studies in which defining characteristics are evaluated and recorded at multiple points during follow-up.
• The length of follow-up depends on whether the diagnosis has an acute or chronic clinical trajectory, ranging from days to years.
• Typical statistical analyses include measures of relative risk, incidence coefficients, and survival rates.
• Multivariate methods, such as generalized estimation equations and Cox proportional hazards models, may also be used to establish prognostic markers.