Nursing Interventions Classification
The Nursing Interventions Classifications (NIC) had its start in 1987 with researchers at the University of Iowa. 1 Their goal was to standardize the terminology used to describe nursing interventions. As they worked on identifying interventions from textbooks and care planning guides they discovered an interesting fact: interventions for specific conditions provided in these sources were not identical and the vocabulary they used differed from source to source. They also uncovered confusion between what was an intervention and what was an assessment, all of which created difficulties in determining which intervention was best for which problem. What is worse, they found that many interventions were not empirically based, but based on “what we always do.”
Physiological and psychological interventions are included in NIC. Although some of the interventions are for use with families most are for individuals. NIC also includes interventions for indirect care such as supply management. Each intervention has a label name, a definition, a set of activities to carry out the intervention, a unique code and background readings. The sixth edition (2013) of Nursing Interventions Classifications contains 554 interventions which are grouped into 30 classes and seven domains. New editions are planned for every five years. 2
Ongoing research and development of NIC is supported by the Center for Nursing Classification and Clinical Effectiveness which is approved by the Iowa Board of Regents.3 The Center for Nursing Classification and Clinical Effectiveness (CNC), is an Iowa Board of Regents- approved Center. It was established in 1995 to facilitate the ongoing research and development of the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) and the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC). NIC and NOC are standardized nursing terminologies focused on nursing treatments and patient outcomes for use across settings and specialties.
References
1. Thede LQ, Sewell JP. Informatics and Nursing: Competencies and Applications. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2010.
2. Center for Nursing Classification & Clinical Effectiveness. CNC - Overview: Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). 2013; http://www.nursing.uiowa.edu/cncce/nursing-interventions-classification-overview . Accessed October 29, 2013.
3. Center for Nursing Classification and Clinical Effectiveness. http://www.nursing.uiowa.edu/center-for-nursing-classification-and-clinical-effectiveness. Accessed October 6, 2014.
Additional Resources for the CCC
CNC - Strengths: Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
CNC - Intervention Example (NIC) Share
CNC - NIC: Frequently Asked Questions
de Souza, C. A., Jerico Mde, C., & Perroca, M. G. (2013). Nursing intervention/activity mapping at a Chemotherapy Center: an instrument for workload assessment. [Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Validation Studies]. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem, 21(2), 492-499.
Describes how identifying nurses"interventions can support determining how much time the activities will requireas well as permitting measuring the workload.
Laguna-Parras, J. M., Jerez-Rojas, M. R., Garcia-Fernandez, F. P., Carrasco-Rodriguez, M. D., & Nogales-Vargas-Machuca, I. (2013). Effectiveness of the 'sleep enhancement' nursing intervention in hospitalized mental health patients. [Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]. J Adv Nurs, 69(6), 1279-1288. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06116.x
McCloskey Dochterman, J. (1998). Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) -- Current Status and New Directions. Online Journal Nursing Informatics, 2(2).
A description of the development of the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) in the 1990s and its implication in practice and education.
Cruz, C. W., Bonfim, D., Gaidzinski, R. R., Fugulin, F. M., & Laus, A. M. (2014). The Use of Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) in Identifying the Workload of Nursing: An Integrative Review. Int J Nurs Knowl. doi: 10.1111/2047-3095.12031.
Frauenfelder, F., Muller-Staub, M., Needham, I., & van Achterberg, T. (2013). Nursing interventions in inpatient psychiatry. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 20(10), 921-931. doi: 10.1111/jpm.12040.
Hahn, J. E. (2014). Using nursing intervention classification in an advance practice registered nurse-led preventive model for adults aging with developmental disabilities. J Nurs Scholarsh, 46(5), 304-313. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12085.
Hong, S. J., & Lee, E. (2014). Korean hospice nursing interventions using the Nursing Interventions Classification system: A comparison with the USA. Nurs Health Sci. doi: 10.1111/nhs.12120.
Lee, E., Park, H., Nam, M., & Whyte, J. (2011). Identification and comparison of interventions performed by Korean school nurses and U.S. school nurses using the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). [Comparative Study
Validation Studies]. J Sch Nurs, 27(2), 93-101. doi: 10.1177/1059840510391095
Noh, H. K., & Lee, E. (2014). Relationships Among NANDA-I Diagnoses, Nursing Outcomes Classification, and Nursing Interventions Classification by Nursing Students for Patients in Medical-Surgical Units in Korea. Int J Nurs Knowl. doi: 10.1111/2047-3095.12044.
Shever, L. L. (2011). The impact of nursing surveillance on failure to rescue. Res Theory Nurs Pract, 25(2), 107-126.
Titler, M. G., Shever, L. L., Kanak, M. F., Picone, D. M., & Qin, R. (2011). Factors associated with falls during hospitalization in an older adult population. [Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural]. Res Theory Nurs Pract, 25(2), 127-148.
Created October 7, 2014
