Basic Nursing 1st Edition by Judith Wilkinson, Leslie Treas

Exercise 15

Scherb, C.A., Stevens, M. S., Busman, C. (2007). Outcomes related to dehydration in the pediatric population. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 22(5), 376-382.
The purpose of this pilot study was to (I) determine whether there was a meaningful difference (in statistical terms) in nursing-sensitive patient outcome ratings from admission to discharge and (2) to describe nursing interventions used for children (younger than age 18 years) admitted with a primary diagnosis of dehydration. During the study period, researchers examined 29 patient care records that were a part of a computerized clinical documentation system in a Midwestern hospital. The documentation system used the standardized nursing languages of NANDA-I, NOC, and NIC.
Standardized care plans (also using NANDA-I, NOC, and NIC) were initiated upon a child's admission, and individualized as needed. NOC outcomes were rated upon admission and at discharge. Examples of outcomes on the care plan include Nutritional Status, Fluid Balance, and Urinary Elimination. Of the eight outcomes on the care plan, seven had statistically significant changes (showing the child's improvement).
If you had to decide on the basis of this study alone, would you be for or against using standardized nursing languages for documentation and patient care plans in your organization? Explain your reasoning.