A nursing intervention is the care and/or treatment carried out by a nurse based on an expert opinion and clinical knowledge. It is part of the nursing process; interventions are determined as a result of indexed healthcare problems (nursing diagnoses) and based on treatment goals. It is possible to structure nursing interventions (or actions) in a hierarchy, where one intervention can be part of another intervention. In a home care situation some actions can also be performed by the patient or a caregiver after a relevant instruction.

Purpose

The nursing interventions are an essential part of the nursing process. A nursing intervention is recorded to document the nursing policy and to update other health professionals on the intervention. The documentation of nursing interventions offers the option to determine whether the interventions outlined in the treatment plan have been carried out. This way, we can facilitate optimal nursing and continuity of care.

Instructions

For the nursing domain: when two parties use different classification systems, the SNOMED CT based nursing problem list is used for exchange of information, so that data becomes comparable and interchangeable.