EXTEND: a prototype expert system for teaching nursing diagnosis

In this article, the development and uses of EXTEND (Expert system for Education in Nursing Diagnosis), a computer assisted instruction package for teaching nursing diagnosis using the categories proposed by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, are described. EXTEND provides a knowledge base that is able to deduce a nursing diagnosis from case factors and extends the normal use of expert systems beyond diagnosis to diagnosis education by providing answers to student questions about a simulated client and by guiding them through the diagnostic task. Furthermore, EXTEND allows the teacher to record the steps taken by students in the assessment and diagnosis of the simulated client, and use this as the focus of further discussion. The system is a response to the problems of teaching nursing diagnoses cited in the professional literature.