Implementation of the Austrian Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS-AT): A Feasibility Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Health Services Research
• Data Science in Healthcare

Background:

• The Austrian Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS-AT) was developed to standardize the description of patient populations and nursing care.
• Key components include nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the NMDS-AT in routine nursing documentation.
• To evaluate the availability, reliability, and usefulness of NMDS-AT data.

Main Methods:

• Chart review of 20 patient records (457 patient days) using an NMDS-AT form.
• Interrater and intrarater reliability assessed using Cohen's kappa and ICC.
• Usefulness evaluated by answering typical analysis questions.

Main Results:

• 68% of NMDS-AT data elements were available in patient records, sourced from various documentation types.
• Good interrater reliability for nursing diagnoses (kappa 0.35-1.00) and outcomes (ICC 1.00).
• Intrarater reliability showed 100% agreement; data supported clinical, policy, and research analysis.

Conclusions:

• The NMDS-AT is feasible, with available data demonstrating good reliability and analytical utility.
• Challenges include improving documentation quality, reducing fragmentation, and standardizing classification systems.
• Mappings between classification systems and NMDS-AT are necessary for implementation.