Abstract
BackgroundThe nursing minimum data set (NMDS) was created in 1977 in the United States to collect uniform standardised data that could be comparable among different nursing areas or patients. So far, in the literature, an NMDS in an oncology setting has not yet been described. Considering an oncology nursing minimum data set (ONMDS), which data could be chosen to define this tool regarding cancer patient care? Material and methodsAt the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), 20 experienced oncology nurses representing surgical, medical, and critical areas participated in a nursing record working group. All nurses followed an educational course on NMDS, and they shared clinical experiences to find which data common among different areas could be useful to care. To identify these data, nurses considered three issues: what is nursing care for nurses in the IEO? What is the nurses’ responsibility in the IEO? What is the organisational nursing model in the IEO? Nurses in the IEO are autonomous in decision making and recognised by patients and by a multi-professional team; the organisational nursing model is primary nursing with patient-centred care. Nursing data must therefore show the quality and results of this care. With this in mind, the working group decided to orient the ONMDS toward nursing-sensitive outcomes (NSOs), meeting also with psychologists, physiotherapists, and dieticians. Nurses analysed Oncology Nursing Society outcomes, and through focus groups, experiential meetings, role playing, and case studies, they integrated them with other NSOs. ResultsThe ONMDS is composed of 49 NSOs recognised as the most common and frequent oncologic outcomes regardless of the treatment that the patient undergoes. These outcomes were clustered into 15 categories. The categories are: gastrointestinal outcomes, genitourinary outcomes, respiratory outcomes, skin outcomes, fluid and electrolyte balance outcomes, neurological outcomes, security, functional status, vascular access outcomes, nutritional status, pain, psychosocial discomfort, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities daily living (IADL), and self-care outcomes. ConclusionsEfforts to identify an ONMDS based on NSOs allow us to develop an tool that can standardise language, assessment, and intervention, but overall could be used to measure nursing care. To evaluate these potentialities, the ONMDS was introduced into nursing records, and it was tested with a pre–post research study.
Highlights
The results of healthcare are the sum of several elements that contribute to the promotion and maintenance of health of the individual and the community
The oncology nursing minimum data set (ONMDS) is composed of 49 nursing-sensitive outcomes (NSOs) recognised as the most common and frequent oncologic outcomes regardless of the treatment that the patient undergoes
Efforts to identify an ONMDS based on NSOs allow us to develop an tool that can standardise language, assessment, and intervention, but overall could be used to measure nursing care
Summary
The results of healthcare are the sum of several elements that contribute to the promotion and maintenance of health of the individual and the community. Results attributable to nursing care are described in the literature as nursing-sensitive outcomes (NSOs) [1]. Since 1960, early studies that targeted the measurement of performance in relation to a given intervention began to be reported. These were the years in which healthcare costs were starting to be discussed, with the consequent need to demonstrate efficacy with respect to the performance that sometimes contained non-profit public spending [2]. In the 1980s, interest in the results of nursing care reached a turning point, and the new goal became to define, standardise, and validate a set of measurable and globally accepted outcomes. Considering an oncology nursing minimum data set (ONMDS), which data could be chosen to define this tool regarding cancer patient care?
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