Capturing nursing information in the United Kingdom through use of a conceptual model

The adoption in the United Kingdom (UK) of SNOMED CT means that the core activities of nursing will need to be described using standardized nursing languages. Work already undertaken in Bangor University has proposed a "Conceptual model for Nursing Information". These authors have argued that the use of this conceptual model allows nurses to describe and measure outcomes of nursing care, using standardized language, in such a way as to provide a maximum data set. This maximum data set captures the totality of nursing activity in such a way as to be highly relevant, not only to nurses, but to other key stakeholders, not least of whom is the patient. This paper will present how the model was developed, the progress to date, and the future challenges of integrating the model into mainstream nursing practice.