This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hardiker, N. R. Articles by Casey, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hardiker, N. R. Articles by Casey, A.

Standards for Nursing Terminology

Affiliations of the authors: University of Manchester, Manchester, England (NRH); Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland (DH); Royal College of Nursing, London, England (AC).

Correspondence and reprints: Nicholas R Hardiker, RN, MSc, Medical Informatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom; e-mail: <hardiker{at}cs.man.ac.uk>.

Terminology work in nursing has given rise to an increasing number of nursing terminologies. These generally take the form of controlled vocabularies. Because of the limitations of the controlled vocabulary approach, individual terminologies tend to be tuned to meet the specific needs of their intended users. Differences between terminologies are now a significant barrier to the comparison and interchange of health information. To agree on a single, multipurpose terminology would be problematic. However, several options for resolving unnecessary differences between nursing terminologies are currently being explored by international standards bodies and other groups, such as the U.S. Nursing Vocabulary Summit. One such option is the use of a terminology model to facilitate evolution toward a more coherent range of terminologies. The authors describe the motivation behind the development of a standard for nursing terminologies. They explain how a terminology model might form the basis for such a standard through a description of the approach taken by CEN TC251 (the Health Informatics Technical Committee of the European Committee for Standardization). They also discuss possible limitations of standardization.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				AADE7TM Self-Care Behaviors The Diabetes Educator, May 1, 2008; 34(3): 445 - 449. [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. Karkkainen, T. Bondas, and K. Eriksson Documentation of Individualized Patient Care: a qualitative metasynthesis Nursing Ethics, March 1, 2005; 12(2): 123 - 132. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. T.F. Goossen, J. G. Ozbolt, A. Coenen, H.-A. Park, C. Mead, M. Ehnfors, and H. F. Marin Development of a Provisional Domain Model for the Nursing Process for Use within the Health Level 7 Reference Information Model J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., May 1, 2004; 11(3): 186 - 194. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-I. Hwang, J. J. Cimino, and S. Bakken Integrating Nursing Diagnostic Concepts into the Medical Entities Dictionary Using the ISO Reference Terminology Model for Nursing Diagnosis J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., July 1, 2003; 10(4): 382 - 388. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Coenen, H. F. Marin, H.-A. Park, and S. Bakken Collaborative Efforts for Representing Nursing Concepts in Computer-based Systems: International Perspectives J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., May 1, 2001; 8(3): 202 - 211. [Abstract] [Full Text]