Developing a unified language for children's nurses children and their families in the United Kingdom

Abstract

• This paper presents a taxonomy of Infant, Child and Adolescent (ICA) nursing diagnoses and clinical outcomes that has been developed with the co-operation of nurses caring for children in the United Kingdom. • Three focus group interviews were conducted in one acute care NHS trust in London (referred to as the host trust in this paper) in 1998/99, in which participants were asked to consider nursing and family factors relevant for identifying and providing care. • A total of 28 ICA diagnoses, including definitions, defining characteristics and outcomes, were identified for clinical testing and included in the ICA taxonomy. • The ICA diagnostic labels and outcomes for care were further tested for their relevance for clinical practice in a Delphi Survey carried out in 1999 and their use in clinical practice began in 1999. • This research augments the findings from an initial Delphi survey carried out in 1993 and case study research in 1996. • The previous research initiated the development of a unified language for children's nurses, children and their families, to aid communication and decision-making. • Implications of this and future research for clinical practice, nationally and internationally, are also discussed. © 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd.