Among the Resources in this module is the Rutherford (2008) article Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice? In this article,

Question

Among the Resources in this module is the Rutherford (2008) article Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice? In this article, the author recounts a visit to a local hospital to view the recent implementation of a new coding system.  During the visit, one of the nurses commented to her, “We document our care using standardized nursing languages but we don’t fully understand why we do” (Rutherford, 2008, para. 1).  How would you respond to a comment such as this one?  To Prepare:  Review the concepts of informatics as presented in the Resources, particularly Rutherford, M. (2008) Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice? Reflect on the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker. Consider how knowledge may be informed by data that is collected/accessed.  The Assignment:  In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:  Explain how you would inform this nurse (and others) of the importance of standardized nursing terminologies. Describe the benefits and challenges of implementing standardized nursing terminologies in nursing practice. Be specific and provide examples. Be sure to support your paper with peer-reviewed research on standardized nursing terminologies that you consulted from the Walden Library.

Admin · Accepted Answer

The emphasis on delivery of the safe care is growing, and this warrants the need for the nursing practitioners to clearly, and accurately document clinical information including the details of the patient assessment and interventions. The accuracy and clarity with which these providers document the information is dependent on whether they use the Standardized Nursing Terminologies (SNTs).  The SNTs consist of the terminologies which users can use to share and document information. This prevents cases where the lack of the clarity of the information which stems from the provider deciding not to use the SNTs, affects its meaning (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). This study examines the approach of informing nursing practitioners the SNTs’ benefits, and the benefits and risks associated with the implementation of these terminologies.  Communication and Benefits  The idea of communicating the essence of the SNTs to the nurses is important because it helps them be aware of the availability and usability of these SNTs, and the person doing the communication can realize this objective by utilizing various methods. One of the most effective approach to communicating these benefits is organizing a conference meeting where nurses can meet, and directly informing them of the benefits they are likely to accrue if they use the SNTs.  The organizational memo can also be an effective way of delivering this information. When using it as a platform for communication, the individual delivering the message concerning the benefits of the SNTs may either post the memo on the strategic areas within the hospital premises, or send the memo to nurses’ emails addresses. However, they can also utilize the journals (Rutherford, 2008). The professional nursing journals can particularly be useful when it comes to communicating the value of the SNTs.  Benefits and Challenges  While the implementation of the SNTs can be important, it can present various challenges. A key benefit that an organization can derive from implementing the SNTs is effective communication. The SNTs present common terminologies which can be effective in relaying clinical information, and this ultimately makes it possible for the clinicians to effectively share information.  Sometimes, the need arises for the information to be in a form which only the providers can internalize. The use of the SNTs makes this possible in the sense that the codes or the taxonomies only make sense to clinicians, and people who do not know the meanings of these terminologies may not understand the conveyed message (Thew, 2016).  This ultimately helps secure the clinical data. The visibility of the nursing care, furthermore, becomes more noticeable with the use of the SNTs given that the conventional approach in which the nurse verbally communicate to colleagues presents visibility issues (Macieria et al., 2019). However, the SNTs do not have atomic level terminologies, and this can hamper the efforts aimed at developing the SNTs.  Conclusion  Reflecting on the discussion of the SNTs, it is clear that incorporating the SNTs into clinical practice can have significant benefits to the hospital, and it is therefore important that nurses understand the usefulness of the SNTs. Informing nurses about the merits of these terminologies may help them adopt a more positive attitudes towards the use of these terminologies. Consequently, they are likely to accommodate and encourage the use of these terminologies to document information. The security of the clinical information, and the improved visibility of the clinical intervention are some of the outcomes linked to the use of the SNTs.

[ANSWERED 2023] Among the Resources in this module is the Rutherford (2008) article Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice? In this article

Written By: Dan Palmer, RN

Edited By: Ethan Green, MSN-FNP