[Philosophical and theoretical foundations for the development and validation of a nursing interface terminology....

An interface terminology is a standard vocabulary designed to ease data entry into electronic health records, to produce information and to generate knowledge.

To present the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings considered in the development of a new nursing interface terminology termed ATIC.

Review, analysis and discussion of the main philosophical orientations, high and mid-range theories and nursing scientific literature. Interpretative conceptualization of the metaparadigm concepts: individual, health, environment and nursing.

The first part of this paper introduces ATIC and its foundation on pragmatism, holism, post-positivism and constructivism as major philosophical approaches. The second and third parts reflects the analysis of the related nursing theoretical development generated from different nursing schools of thought, made explicit through the conceptualization of the meta-paradigmatic concepts.

ATIC terminology is rooted on an eclectic philosophical and theoretical foundation, allowing it to be used from different orientations or trends within the totality paradigm.