The Impact of Standardized Nursing Terminology

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