What should a nurse focus on to avoid diagnostic errors?

Gathering a sufficient number of reliable cues is essential for avoiding diagnostic errors because it ensures that the nurse has a comprehensive understanding of the patient's condition. Reliable cues include both subjective information from the patient and objective data obtained through assessments or tests. This thorough collection of data helps in forming an accurate picture of the patient's health status.

When nurses gather a diverse range of information, they can identify patterns, recognize abnormalities, and make more informed clinical decisions. This careful approach minimizes the risk of misdiagnosis and allows for a more effective treatment plan.

The other options, while they may hold some relevance in certain contexts, do not encapsulate the holistic and careful attention to detail that is crucial in diagnostic processes. By focusing solely on objective data or limiting the scope of information, a nurse may overlook critical subjective components that contribute to a patient's health story. Prioritizing patient opinions without a balanced approach to cue gathering may lead to biased interpretations that could cloud clinical judgment.