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Comparison of nursing interventions classification and current procedural terminology codes for categorizing nursing
S B Henry1, W L Holzemer, C Randell
1Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0608, USA.
Image--The Journal of Nursing Scholarship
|January 1, 1997
Summary
The Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) system is superior to Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for categorizing nursing activities. NIC effectively classifies all nursing terms, highlighting the importance of discipline-specific systems.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Informatics
- Health Services Research
- Medical Classification Systems
Background:
- Accurate categorization of nursing activities is crucial for understanding nursing's contribution to patient care and health outcomes.
- Existing classification systems may not adequately capture the breadth and depth of nursing interventions.
- The study addresses the need for effective tools to document and analyze nursing practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the categorization frequency of nursing activity terms using the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.
- To evaluate the suitability of NIC versus CPT for classifying nursing interventions in a specific patient population.
- To provide evidence for the utility of discipline-specific nursing classification systems.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study design was employed.
- Nursing activity terms (n=21,366) were collected from multiple sources, including patient and nurse interviews, intershift reports, and patient records.
- Terms were systematically categorized using both the NIC and CPT classification systems.
Main Results:
- All collected nursing activity terms were classifiable using the NIC system, with 60% falling into 14 intervention categories.
- Only 6% of the terms were classifiable by CPT codes, with "pulse oximetry" being the most frequent code.
- A statistically significant greater number of nursing activity terms were categorized using NIC compared to CPT (p < .0001).
Conclusions:
- The findings demonstrate the superiority of the NIC system over CPT for categorizing nursing activities in the study population.
- The results underscore the importance of using discipline-specific classification systems for healthcare interventions.
- Nursing-specific systems like NIC are essential for defining nursing's contribution to quality and cost outcomes in healthcare.