OVERVIEW OF NIC
The Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) is a comprehensive, research-based, standardized classification of interventions that nurses perform. It is useful for clinical documentation, communication of care across settings, integration of data across systems and settings, effectiveness research, productivity measurement, competency evaluation, reimbursement, and curricular design. The Classification includes the interventions that nurses do on behalf of patients, both independent and collaborative interventions, both direct and indirect care. An intervention is defined as "any treatment, based upon clinical judgment and knowledge, that a nurse performs to enhance patient/client outcomes." While an individual nurse will have expertise in only a limited number of interventions reflecting on her or his specialty, the entire classification captures the expertise of all nurses. NIC can be used in all settings (from acute care intensive care units, to home care, to hospice, to primary care) and all specialties (from critical care to ambulatory care and long term care). While the entire classification describes the domain of nursing, some of the interventions in the classification are also done by other providers. NIC can be used by other non-physician providers to describe their treatments.
NIC interventions include both the physiological (e.g. Acid-Base Management) and the psychosocial (e.g. Anxiety Reduction). Interventions are included for illness treatment (e.g. Hyperglycemia Management), illness prevention (e.g. Fall Prevention), and health promotion (e.g. Exercise Promotion). Most of the interventions are for use with individuals but many are for use with families (e.g. Family Integrity Promotion), and some are for use with entire communities (e.g. Environmental Management: Community). Indirect care interventions (e.g. Supply Management) are also included. Each intervention as it appears in the classification is listed with a label name, a definition, a set of activities to carry out the intervention, and background readings.
The 542 interventions in NIC (5th ed.) are grouped into thirty classes and seven domains for ease of use. The 7 domains are: Physiological: Basic, Physiological: Complex, Behavioral, Safety, Family, Health System, and Community. Each intervention has a unique number (code). NIC interventions have been linked with NANDA nursing diagnoses, Omaha System problems, and NOC outcomes. The classification is continually updated with an ongoing process for feedback and review. In the back of the book, there are instructions for how users can submit suggestions for modifications to existing interventions or propose a new intervention. All contributors whose changes are included in the next edition are acknowledged in the book. New editions of the classification are planned for approximately every 4 years. The classification was first published in 1992, the second edition in 1996, the third edition in 2000, the fourth edition in 2004, and the fifth edition in 2008. Work that is done between editions and other relevant publications that enhance the use of the classification are available form the Center for Nursing Classification & Clinical Effectiveness at the College of Nursing, The University of Iowa.
NIC is recognized by the American Nurses' Association (ANA) and is included as one data set that will meet the uniform guidelines for information system vendors in the ANA's Nursing Information and Data Set Evaluation Center (NIDSEC). NIC is included in the National Library of Medicine's Metathesaurus for a Unified Medial Language and the cumulative index of nursing Literature (CINAHL). NIC is also included in The Joint Commission as one nursing classification system that can be used to meet the standard on uniform data. The National League for Nursing has made a 40-minute video about NIC to facilitate teaching of NIC to nursing students and practicing nurses. Alternative Link has included NIC in its ABC codes used for reimbursement for alternative providers. NIC is registered in HL7 and is mapped into SNOMED (Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine).
Hundreds of health care agencies have adopted NIC for use in standards, care plans, competency evaluation, and nursing information systems; nursing education programs are using NIC to structure curriculum and identify competencies of graduating nurses; authors of major texts are using NIC to discuss nursing treatments; and researchers are using NIC to study the effectiveness of nursing care. Interest in NIC has been demonstrated in several other countries, notably Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. NIC has been translated into Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, and Spanish; other translations are in progress.
For further resources and information contact :Center for Nursing Classification & Clinical Effectiveness
The University of Iowa, College of Nursing 407 NB
Iowa City IA 52242-1121
319-335-7051 Fax: 319-335-9990
e-mail: classification-center@uiowa.edu
