Nurse autonomy, nurse job satisfaction and client satisfaction with nursing care: their place in nursing data sets

Many changes have taken place in the healthcare system that have influenced nurse autonomy, job satisfaction and client satisfaction. Standardized language facilitates communication within the discipline of nursing. Examples of such language include the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) and the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) systems as well as the Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS), which provides a formal structure for electronic data sets to support nursing care. The Nursing Management Minimum Data Set (NMMDS) was designed to identify variables to guide nurse managers in evaluating the impact of nursing interventions on client outcomes. Gaps within NMDS and NMMDS are discussed, and solutions are proposed.