Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was to identify nursing diagnosis-outcome-intervention (NANDA- NOC-NIC: NNN) linkages applied to inpatients in general surgical nursing units.
METHODS
We developed the NNN linkage computerized nursing process program, which consisted of the 107 nursing outcomes and the 190 nursing interventions linked to the 39 nursing diagnoses. This program was applied to 324 patients who admitted to those nursing units from July, 2004 to February, 2005.
RESULTS
First, nursing outcomes of each nursing diagnosis were identified as follows: for 'acute pain', pain control, pain level, and comfort level; for 'risk for infection', wound healing: primary intention, wound healing: secondary intention, and infection status; for 'nausea', nutritional status: food & fluid intake, comfort level, symptom severity and hydration. Second, major nursing interventions for each nursing outcome were analyzed as follows: for pain control or comfort level, pain management and medication management; for pain level, pain management and analgesic administration; for wound healing: primary intention, incision site care and wound care; for Wound healing: secondary intention or infection status, infection control; for nutritional status: food & fluid intake, fluid monitoring; for comfort level, nausea management; for symptom severity, nausea management and vomiting management; for hydration, fluid/electrolyte management.
CONCLUSION
This identified NNN linkages will facilitate the use of nursing process in surgical nursing practice and documentation systems.