Identification of NANDA-I and ICNP nursing diagnoses specific to intensive care: a scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: in the last few years, the need has emerged to use standardized terminologies to describe the nursing process and nursing activity. These languages are based on scientific evidence, guaranteeing continuity of care for the patient and greater visibility for the profession. In this study, the Nursing Diagnoses are identified, according to NANDA-I (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association International) and ICNP (Classificazione Internazionale per la Pratica Infermieristica) taxonomy, most used in the specific context of Intensive Care for adults. Materials and Methods: a scoping review of the scientific literature was performed between March and November 2022. Primary studies published between 2012 and 2022, from three different databases, were included, excluding samples of patients with COVID-19 or aggregated data from different care settings. Results: nine articles were selected that answered the question regarding the NANDA-I taxonomy, while no articles were included for the ICNP language. In the 9 articles, a total sample of 817 patients was analyzed, coming from Brazil, Italy, and Turkey. In this study, 44 NANDA-I diagnoses were included, among which the most used: "(00004) Risk of infection", "(00047) Risk of compromised skin integrity", and "(00030) Compromised gas exchanges". The frequency data of the most common diagnoses in the analyzed care context are summarized in the article. Discussion: nurses pay great attention to prevention, often formulating risk diagnoses in addition to the real ones. However, there was a trend to consider physiological needs more, leaving out the patient's emotional, spiritual, and relational sphere. Conclusions: the study answered the research question for NANDA-I diagnoses, but it did not bring any results, highlighting a gray area for ICNP diagnoses. Future studies will be needed to create specific NANDA-I Nursing Diagnosis subsets for Intensive Care for adults, in order to optimize the use of standardized languages in this healthcare context.