The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of nursing diagnosis in nursing discharge planning, according to NANDA taxonomy adapted to the model of V. Henderson. We have made a retrospective descriptive study analyzing 260 discharge care plan reports, from a county hospital of Jaén (Spain), during the period 1994-1998. We found 4.2 +/- 2.0 (average +/- standard deviation) nursing problems by discharge plan report. 62.4% of the problems were stated correctly as nursing diagnosis, with an average of 2.6 +/- 1.9 correct nursing diagnosis by report and 37.6% were incorrect nursing diagnosis, 1.6 +/- 1.1 by report as average. Most of the registered nursing problems (95.6%) were actual problems, present in the patients; a 4.3% were potential or high risk problems, and only one possible type nursing diagnosis was identified. After grouping the nursing problems according to the needs of the model of Virginia Henderson, we find that most of diagnosis cited were included in biological needs, and in smaller number to the psychosocial needs.