Coining and Defining Novel Nursing Terminology. Part 1: Critical Incident Nursing Diagnosis

PURPOSE.  In the first of a three-part series, a novel nursing terminology is introduced and proposed for inclusion in the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) International Classification—Critical incident nursing diagnosis (CIND)—defined as the recognition of an acute life-threatening event that occurs as a result of disease, surgery, treatment, or medication.

DATA SOURCES.  The literature, research studies, and meta-analyses from a variety of disciplines, and personal clinical experience serve as the data sources for this article.

DATA SYNTHESIS.  The current nursing diagnoses in the NANDA International Classification are inaccurate or inadequate for describing nursing care during life-threatening situations. The lack of standardized nursing terminology creates a barrier that may impede critical communication and patient care during life-threatening situations.

CONCLUSIONS.  Coining and defining a novel nursing terminology, CIND, for patient care during life-threatening situations are important and fill the gap in the current standardized nursing terminology.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE.  Refining the NANDA International Classification will permit nursing researchers, among others, to conduct studies on nursing diagnoses in conjunction with the proposed novel nursing terminology: CIND. Parts 2 and 3 of this series will propose additional nursing terminology: critical incident nursing intervention and critical incident control, respectively.