Examination of Nursing Diagnoses for Adults Hospitalized with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, 1982–1990

The literature on nursing care of the hospitalized adult with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from 1982 to the present was examined, and 16 formal care plans were extracted. The nursing care plans were examined for commonalities of identified nursing diagnoses, which were then tabulated according to frequency. Analysis of the types of problems addressed shows that five of the nine highest-frequency problems were physiologic (altered nutrition: less than body requirements, respiratory problems, impaired skin integrity, diarrhea, potential for infection). The other four problems were cognitive (altered thought processes), safety (potential for injury), social (social isolation), and a combination of physiologic and cognitive (pain). Validation of nursing diagnoses is needed as a solid foundation for nursing intervention research in the care of patients with AIDS.     

Examination of nursing diagnoses for adults hospitalized with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, 1982-1990

The literature on nursing care of the hospitalized adult with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from 1982 to the present was examined, and 16 formal care plans were extracted. The nursing care plans were examined for commonalities of identified nursing diagnoses, which were then tabulated according to frequency. Analysis of the types of problems addressed shows that five of the nine highest-frequency problems were physiologic (altered nutrition: less than body requirements, respiratory problems, impaired skin integrity, diarrhea, potential for infection). The other four problems were cognitive (altered thought processes), safety (potential for injury), social (social isolation), and a combination of physiologic and cognitive (pain). Validation of nursing diagnoses is needed as a solid foundation for nursing intervention research in the care of patients with AIDS.     

Continuing care after cancer treatment

BACKGROUND: Despite nearly three decades of debate and policy guidance there is evidence that, in the United Kingdom, patient hospital discharge remains problematic. District nurses, who deliver skilled home nursing care, receive referrals from hospitals for continuing nursing care needs. However, district nurses' expectations of appropriate patient referral from hospitals are not always achieved. In an attempt to improve services after hospital discharge, government policy has emphasized partnership between care providers, highlighting the need for smooth transition between care settings. AIM: To explore hospital discharge and referral procedures for patients with cancer, with particular emphasis on referrals made by hospital nurses to district nurses. METHOD: In-depth interviews were carried out with nurses actively involved in the discharge process as both referrers and recipients of referrals. Twenty nurses from a regional cancer centre and 20 district nurses from three adjacent primary care trusts were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically, and themes compared between the two care settings. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that competing sets of expectations, not only between hospital and community nursing settings, but amongst district nurses themselves, are a major factor impeding agreement on referral criteria and satisfaction with the referral process.     

Examination of Nursing Diagnoses for Adults Hospitalized with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, 1982–1990

The literature on nursing care of the hospitalized adult with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from 1982 to the present was examined, and 16 formal care plans were extracted. The nursing care plans were examined for commonalities of identified nursing diagnoses, which were then tabulated according to frequency. Analysis of the types of problems addressed shows that five of the nine highest-frequency problems were physiologic (altered nutrition: less than body requirements , respiratory problems, impaired skin integrity, diarrhea, potential for infection). The other four problems were cognitive (altered thought processes) , safety (potential for injury) , social (social isolation) , and a combination of physiologic and cognitive (pain). Validation of nursing diagnoses is needed as a solid foundation for nursing intervention research in the care of patients with AIDS.     

Content Validation of Impaired Skin Integrity and Urinary Incontinence in the Home Health Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine content validity of two nursing diagnoses in the home health setting: impaired skin integrity and altered urinary elimination: total incontinence. Eighty-two home health nurses rated the importance of each of the defining characteristics for the two nursing diagnoses. Diagnostic content validity scores (DCV) were calculated for each defining characteristic for both diagnoses using the method described by Fehring (1986). Four characteristics for each diagnosis had DCV scores greater than .75, indicating characteristics were critical indicators for the diagnosis. Erythema, denuded skin, disruptions of dermal and epidermal tissue, and lesions were critical indicators for impaired skin integrity. Lack of awareness of incontinence, constant flow of urine, lack of awareness of bladder cues to void, and incontinence refractory to other treatments were critical indicators for alteration in urinary elimination: total incontinence.     

Quantifying nursing needs in home health care

A study was conducted to determine what factors were most predictive of the quantity of nursing service and total agency service required by cardiac and cancer patients in home-care agencies. A retrospective record review on 397 patients in 9 randomly selected Connecticut home-care agencies collected demographic data on referral and payment source, support system, discharge status, primary care provider, and health status, as well as total number of professional and nonprofessional visits and length of stay. The Health Status Score, which measured deficits in daily activities and nursing problems, proved to be the best predictor. The ability of the Health Status Score to predict the need for total agency visits was particularly strong for cancer patients. The agency variable was a significant predictor of resource utilization, especially for cardiac patients. A significant limitation of the study was the inconsistency among the agencies regarding closure of records. Future research into resource use in home care depends on consistent and complete recording practices across agencies.     

Nursing diagnoses, diagnosis-related group, and hospital outcomes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There are no nursing centric data in the hospital discharge abstract. This study investigates whether adding nursing data in the form of nursing diagnoses to medical diagnostic data in the discharge abstract can improve overall explanation of variance in commonly studied hospital outcomes. METHOD: A retrospective analyses of 123,241 sequential patient admissions to a university hospital in a Midwestern city was performed. Two data sets were combined: (1) a daily collection of patient assessments by nurses using nursing diagnosis terminology (NDX); and (2) the summary discharge information from the hospital discharge abstract including diagnosis-related group (DRG) and all payer refined DRG (APR-DRG). Each of 61 daily NDX observations were collapsed as frequency of occurrence for the hospital stay and inserted into the discharge abstract. NDX was then compared to both DRG and APR-DRG across 5 hospital outcome variables using multivariate regression or logistic regression. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In all statistical models, DRG, APR-DRG, and NDX were significantly associated with the 5 hospital outcome variables (P <.0001). When NDX was added to models containing either the DRG or the APR-DRG, explanatory power (R2) and model discrimination (c statistic) improved by 30% to 146% across the outcome variables of hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, total charges, probably of death, and discharge to a nursing home (P <.0001).The findings support the contention that nursing care is an independent predictor of patient hospital outcomes. These nursing data are not redundant with the medical diagnosis, in particular, the DRG. The findings support the argument for including nursing care data in the hospital discharge abstract. Further study is needed to clarify which nursing data are the best fit for the current hospital discharge abstract data collection scheme.     

Characteristics of older adults rehospitalized within 7 and 30 days of discharge: implications for nursing practice

Rehospitalization within 30 days consumes a significant portion of health care costs; therefore, interventions aimed at reducing the risk of rehospitalization are needed. A retrospective study was conducted examining rehospitalization rates and diagnoses according to discharge location and comparing characteristics of older adults within 7 and 30 days of discharge from a community hospital. Data on rehospitalization for Medicare fee-for-service patients (75 and older) over a 12-month period were obtained from the information technology department of a not-for-profit community hospital. A total of 6,809 patients were discharged, with 12% rehospitalized within 30 days. Skilled nursing facilities had the highest rehospitalization rates (15%), followed by home with home health care (13%) and then home with self-care (8%). The highest rehospitalization rates were in areas where nursing has a strong presence, suggesting that nurses can play an important role in the development of interventions aimed at reducing rehospitalizations.     

Nursing diagnoses of hospitalized infants with physiologic hyperbilirubinemia: A cross sectional study

Background and aimNursing diagnoses are the common language of nurses which indicate the labels given to human responses to health problems/developmental processes. Neonatal physiologic hyperbilirubinemia is a developmental disorder common in neonates. The responses to this health problem need to be identified.This study aimed to find physiologic hyperbilirubinemia related nursing diagnoses in some domains of the NANDA-I classification in hospitalized newborns in a maternal-neonatal educational hospital in Tehran, Iran.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a checklist contains labels, defining characteristics and related factors of selected nursing diagnosis of six domains of the NANDA-I classification and a maternal-neonatal information questionnaire were used for conveniently selected 140 hospitalized newborns with physiologic hyperbilirubinemia. The data was analyzed using SPSS software 23 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY).FindingsRisk for deficient fluid volume, Risk for electrolyte imbalance (hyponatremia/hypocalcemia/hypernatremia), risk for vascular trauma, risk for impaired skin integrity, risk for infection, risk for injury (retinal damage/bilirubin hyperbilirubinemia) and risk for thermal injury were the nursing diagnoses identified for more than 90% of the neonates.ConclusionThe nursing diagnoses identified in this study for physiologic neonatal hyperbilirubinemia can guide clinical neonatal nurses in providing high-quality care in neonatal settings.     

Do nursing diagnoses affect functional status?

1. Nurses in this study often made diagnoses pertaining to physiological or physical problems rather than psychosocial problems. One diagnostic category, "impaired home maintenance management," was consistently used incorrectly, suggesting a need for careful clinical training of nursing staff in diagnostic reasoning. 2. Patients who had a greater number of nursing diagnoses had greater improvements in function during the hospital stay. One explanation is that more nursing diagnoses may lead to more independent nursing actions, resulting in improvements in functional abilities. 3. Functional status on admission measured by the Katz ADL was the most powerful predictor of functional status at discharge. The scale can readily be used by nurses to document basic functioning and to quickly identify patients needing or coordinated discharge planning. 4. Institutionalized had a higher mean number of nursing diagnoses than those who were discharged to their own homes. The most powerful predictor of institutionalization was the Katz ADL score.     

Nursing home transition: providing assistance to caregivers in transition program

Transition from a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center to the community can be fragmented and insufficiently case managed, resulting in inadequate care recommendations, patient-caregiver distress, a delay in discharge, and a higher risk of nursing home readmission. The Providing Assistance to Caregivers in Transition (PACT) program is an interdisciplinary case management program designed to enhance nursing home discharge planning and case management support for the transitional period following a return to the community. During the PACT program's initial 24 months of operation, 38 of 42 opened cases were assisted in a discharge to the community. Of these, 30 remained at home for at least 6 months, 5 were readmitted within 6 months, and 3 others died. Caregivers reported satisfaction with instrumental (e.g., information about care options, facilitation of referrals to services) and emotional support. Nursing home cooperation was mixed. More work is needed to develop a broader referral base for the program.     

Classification of nursing interventions for care of the integument

The Classification of Nursing Interventions research team at The University of Iowa, College of Nursing is building a taxonomy of nursing interventions that will include all of the direct care treatment activities that nurses perform on behalf of patients. This report describes the study in which 12 nursing interventions and their associated activities for care of the integument were extracted from a large database and validated through a two-round Delphi survey. Using an adaptation of Fehring's model for determining diagnostic content validity of nursing diagnoses, a definition, critical activities, and supporting activities were developed for each of the following interventions: Bathing, Bedrest Care, Hair Care, Nail Care, Oral Health Maintenance, Oral Health Promotion, Oral Health Restoration, Positioning, Pressure Management, Skin Care--Topical Treatments, Skin Surveillance, and Wound Care. Further research is needed to validate supporting activities and to continue classifying interventions and activities that nurses use in treating impaired skin integrity (potential and actual) and altered oral mucous membrane integrity (potential and actual).     

Classification of Nursing Interventions for Care of the Integument

The Classification of Nursing Interventions research team at The University of Iowa, College of Nursing is building a taxonomy of nursing interventions that will include all of the direct care treatment activities that nurses perform on behalf of patients. This report describes the study in which 12 nursing interventions and their associated activities for care of the integument were extracted from a large database and validated through a two-round Delphi survey. Using an adaptation of Fehring's model for determining diagnostic content validity of nursing diagnoses, a definition, critical activities, and supporting activities were developed for each of the following interventions: Bathing, Bedrest Care, Hair Care, Nail Care, Oral Health Maintenance, Oral Health Promotion, Oral Health Restoration, Positioning, Pressure Management, Skin Care–Topical Treatments, Skin Surveillance, and Wound Care. Further research is needed to validate supporting activities and to continue classifying interventions and activities that nurses use in treating impaired skin integrity (potential and actual) and altered oral mucous membrane integrity (potential and actual).     

Maintaining Skin Integrity: Setting the Standard in a Rehabilitation Facility

Impaired skin integrity and a high risk for developing it are two of the more common nursing diagnoses made in the rehabilitation setting. Pressure sores and their consequences are directly related to increased length of stay for patients and can create higher costs for the institution. Most of the sequelae of pressure sores can be avoided, as the identification, prevention, and treatment of pressure sores have become more standardized. The rehabilitation facility discussed in this article developed a standard of care for the maintenance of skin integrity, a pressure sore protocol, and nursing care plans to provide a standardized format for nursing care. The standard was designed to ensure consistency among the nursing staff when they assess, plan, evaluate, and document care of patients who have pressure sores or are at risk of developing them. The standard also created a mechanism for evaluating the knowledge and skill of the nursing staff in preventing and treating pressure sores. This article describes the components of the standard of care and its supporting policies as well as its implementation and use.     

Nurses' perceptions of discharge planning in acute health care: a case study in one British teaching hospital

AIM OF THE STUDY: To provide an in-depth understanding of nurses' perceptions of the hospital discharge process in a London teaching hospital. BACKGROUND: Discharging patients from hospital is a key component of the nurse's role in acute health care settings. It is remarkable that despite government legislation and research, which stretches back over 20 years in both Europe and North America, discharge planning remains problematic. Furthermore, it is an activity that requires collaboration between health and social care agencies. In the United Kingdom there is a new emphasis and incentive on managing acute hospital beds, which in turn results in shorter stays in hospital. In London, discharge planners face additional problems because of social, economic and environmental factors. METHOD: Using a case study design, 19 nurses were interviewed using the critical incident approach to obtain their perceptions of the discharge process. Direct observation was conducted to record interactions between nurses and health care professionals in multidisciplinary teams. In total 14 meetings were attended in elder care and orthopaedics and 7 in acute medicine. FINDINGS: Aspects of the discharge process were often ignored or neglected and assessments were rarely co-ordinated. The nursing ward handover was regarded as a process that hindered communication. Lack of time was reported to be the biggest barrier that affected interprofessional working and hence the co-ordination of assessments. CONCLUSION: The findings have important implications for nurses, managers and educational establishments. It is essential that social and medical diagnoses run parallel and that accurate information is collated and communicated within the multidisciplinary team. Further research into the impact of time pressures on communication, interprofessional working and the discharge process is needed.     

Nursing workload, medical diagnosis related groups, and nursing diagnoses

Patient conditions associated with the relative amount of time nurses spent caring for patients were identified in this study. The patient conditions examined were: nursing condition using 37 nursing diagnoses, medical condition using diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), and demographic characteristics of age, sex, and race. Nursing time was estimated using the Rush-Medicus patient classification workload measurement tool. Data were gathered from checklists of nursing diagnoses and the discharge records of 2560 adult inpatients of an acute care community hospital. Using multiple regression analysis nursing condition explained twice the variation in daily nursing workload (52.4%) than medical condition (26.3%). The finding that nursing care time is predicted better by a patient's nursing condition than by either medical condition or demographic characteristics indicates that nursing care is not physician prescribed.