Nursing: Invisibility of Nursing, Research Paper Example

Outline

Introduction

• Summary the “invisibility of nursing” phenomenon

Discussionof the development and promotion of standards, standardized terminologies

• Challenges
• Benefits

Conclusion

• Analysis of the potential value of standardization to informatics nurses

Introduction

Summary the “invisibility of nursing” phenomenon

The author contended that nursing has the most employees of all the health care professions. Precisely, to date there are 2.1 million registered nurses. However, there is a history fluctuating shortages and overflow with shortages taking the greater part of the journey. With the development of well-designed nursing educational programs and subsequentlytrained nurses, it can be concluded that nursing as a science has moved from a state of disgrace into a respectable profession. Importantly, it has been further advanced that the emergency of nursing education is compatible with modern hospital and modern medicine (Friedman, 1990).

Alarmingly, nurses and nursing profession appear to have very little control over choices which are made within the scope of practice and this is the concern of many health care workers functioning in this capacity. Researchers have discovered that97% of nurses are female; 91% are non-Hispanic whites. Importantly, these factors appear to still separate rather than unite nurses and the profession. In concluding the article this researcher has advanced the nurses spend more time fighting against each other rather than establishing guidelines for promoting solidarity (Friedman,1990).

Discussion of the development and promotion of

Standards, standardized terminologies

According to Werley, Devine, Zorn, Ryan, and Westra (1991)development and promotion of standards and standardized terminologies within the nursing science and profession emerged from persistent research followed by policy changes overtime. For example, reports are that The Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS) was the first attempt at standardizing important nursing data collection processes. Precisely, they were described as minimum core data. The contention was that if core data are regularly utilized across health care settings eventually this could form the foundation for adequate nursing diagnosis descriptions; nursing care protocols and applicable resources (Werley, Devine, Zorn, Ryan & Westra, 1991).

Further the analysis has been that extensive data collection procedures inevitably could establish a standardized nursing data base from which nurses could make comparisons with colleagues outside of their geographic locations and populations around the world in creating unique standardization practices for their organization, culture and specific needs.In order to evaluate if these standards are relevant they could be aligned to present and past practices also. Importantly, it will offer tremendous opportunities for public health nurses to align themselves with current international standards based on an assessment of their own

Therefore; the authors of this article sought to enlighten the nurses regardinga profound background to the project inclusive of a definitive purpose, availability and reliability pertaining to data collection procedures, benefits along with the role Nursing Minimum Data Set will play in the process. Ultimately, the focus would be on research and policy adjustments within the science. As such, in 1999 Nursing Vocabulary Summit Conference was held seeking consensus towards aligning development of nursing terminology standards to be used in information systems (Ozbolt, 2000).

Challenges

Dr Judy Ozbolt (2000) organized a conference to standardized terminologies related to health informatics. Deliberations regarding challenges faced in this discipline were that some difficulties existed in distinguishing between colloquial terminologies and reference terminologies as well as information models and terminology models. It was agreed that the nursing terminologies mostly recognized were colloquial terminologies rather than scientific. Consequently, development of reference terminology codes was imperative (Ozbolt, 2000).

Further challenges detected were that nursing terminologies did not adequately reflect the contents of nursing practice within its true context. Therefore, if health information technology were to become a successful venture the first remedial work had to represent a standard vocabulary which applicable across cultures and technology programs. Hence, the characteristics of these standards posed another challenge which through consistent modification and consensus should be resolved over time. However, in the meantime inconsistent standards will continue to be a challenge (Goosen, Epping, Feuth, Dassen, Hasman & van de Heuvel, (1998).

Benefits

The benefits of development and promotion of standards, standardized terminologies in nursing/ health care settings are immense. For example, with the impact of electronic health record systems across the nation and world standards and standardized terminologies are mandatory. Precisely, it is a communication language within nursing profession. Communication is not achieved when understanding of words is not synchronized. Therefore, this process enhances patient safety and outcome because it eliminates errors due to language mis- representations (Bakken, Cimino & Haskell, 2000).

Conclusion

Analysis of the potential value of standardization to informatics for nurses

In an age when nursing research is gaining momentum and evidence based practices are implemented as the standard for nursing care interventions the value of standardized language and documentation cannotbe overemphasized.The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) has highlighted the benefits of standardized documentation practices within the science. According to Hammond and Cimino () a diverse science such as nursing standardization is the only door through which patient safety can be assured. All informatics programs contain data base language protocols. Hence, for informatics efficiency nursing language/terminologies must be consistent with these programs. Without adequate standardization techniques data exchange is impossible (Hammond & Cimino, 2002)

References

Bakken, S. Cimino, J., & Haskell, R. (2000). Evaluation of the Clinical LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes) Semantic Structure as a Terminology Model for Standardized Assessment Measures. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 7:529–38.

Friedman, E, (1990).Troubled Past of ‘Invisible’ Profession.JAMA. 264(22); 2851-2858

Goosen, W. Epping, P. Feuth, T. Dassen, T. Hasman, A. van de Heuvel, W. (1998). A comparison of nursing minimal data sets. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 5; 152-63

Hammond, E., &Cimino, J. (2002)Standards in Medical Informatics (Chapter 6). New York. Springer.

Ozbolt, J. (2000). Terminology Standards for Nursing. Journal of American Medical Informatics Association. 7(8); 517-522

Werley, H. Devine, C. Zorn, R. Ryan, P., &Westra, L. (1991).The Nursing Minimum Data Set: abstraction tool for standardized, comparable, essential data.Am J Public Health. 81(4): 421–426