NR 512 – Wk 3 Impact of Standardized Terminologies on Practice

How would a standardized terminology (of your choice) directly impact your nursing practice?
Provide a rationale and one example.

Think about the two questions below as you present your thoughts in the threads.

1. What do you see as the greatest impact of nursing standardized-terminology use upon
healthcare consumers?

2. What might be the greatest indirect effects of using nursing standardized-terminology

in your practice? What is your rationale for your response?

Response:

The American Nurses Association currently recognizes 12 standardized terminologies

(STs), ten of which are consider specific to nursing care. STs are used to improve
communication by ensuring that everyone has the same understanding or meaning of a given
concept. STs are also used to increase visibility of nursing interventions, improve patient care,
enhance data collection to evaluate nursing care outcomes, and to facilitate the assessment of
nursing competency (ANA, 2014). It can be confusing at times, for example in the above
described scenario, because there is not one set terminology used across the medical field.

In my current nursing practice I am familiar with the following three STs: NIC, NOC, &
NANDA. NANDA is classified as a set of nursing diagnoses that are broken down into 13
domains. NIC is used to define nursing interventions and NOC is used to classify nursing
outcomes. Without the use of these standard terminologies, it would be very difficult continue
with the movement to implement the use of electronic healthcare records nationwide.

Reference:

Rutherford, M. A. (2008). Standardized nursing language: What does it mean for nursing
practice? DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol13No01PPT05