Toward an International Classification for Nursing Practice: a literature review & survey

In 1991 the International Council of Nurses (ICN) initiated a long-term project to develop an International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP). To identify existing classifications and nomenclatures of nursing, a literature search and survey of national nurses' associations and individuals involved in classification across the world were conducted, in addition to a pilot search for articles describing nursing nomenclatures and classifications in countries other than the US and Canada, the latter having provided most of the examples in the original ICNP proposals. Three sources of literature were examined: international conference proceedings, Med-Line and Exerpta Medica.