NANDA-I, NOC, and NIC linkages to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Part 3. Family response

To provide guidance to nurses caring for families with COVID-19, we developed linkages using interoperable standardized nursing terminologies: NANDA International (NANDA-I) nursing diagnoses, Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC), and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC). In addition, we wanted to identify gaps in the terminologies and potential new nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventions for future development related to nurse roles in family care during a pandemic.

Using a consensus process, seven nurse experts created the linkages focused on families during the COVID-19 pandemic using the following steps: (1) creating an initial list of potential nursing diagnoses, (2) selecting and categorizing outcomes that aligned with all components of each nursing diagnosis selected, and (3) identifying relevant nursing interventions.

We identified a total of seven NANDA-I nursing diagnoses as the basis for the linkage work. These are distributed in three NANDA-I Domains and based in the psychosocial dimension of the Nursing Care in Response to Pandemics model. Eighty-nine different NOC outcomes were identified to guide care based on the nursing diagnoses, and 54 different NIC interventions were suggested as possible interventions. Fifteen new proposed concepts were identified for future development across the three classifications.

The linkages of nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventions provide a guide to enhance nursing practice and care documentation that could quantify the impact of nursing care to patient outcomes for families at risk for or infected by COVID-19.

NANDA-I, NOC, and NIC linkages identified in this paper provide resources to support clinical decisions and guide critical thinking for nurses encountering care needs of families with COVID-19. Documentation of these linkages provides data that can create new knowledge to enhance the care of families impacted by COVID-19.