International Classification for Nursing Practice What is ICNP?
The International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) is a program under the International Council of Nurses (ICN), developed to provide a standardized language for representing nursing phenomena (diagnoses), nursing interventions, and nursing outcomes within health care documentation. The ICNP serves as a unified nursing language system, facilitating cross-mapping of local and standardized nursing terminologies across different health care settings, organizations, and countries. It enables comparisons of nursing data across disciplines, allowing for better global health care analysis and collaboration.
Specific Terms or Language Use
Standardized terminologies such as ICNP are essential for capturing clinical data electronically at the point of care. This data can then be reused for various purposes, including communication, decision support, policymaking, and research generation. The ICNP is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate the diverse practices of nurses across the globe. Some of the key benefits of using ICNP include:
- Establishing a common language to improve communication among nurses and other health professionals.
- Representing nursing care concepts across different languages and specialties.
- Enabling comparison of nursing care data across different settings, regions, and times.
- Facilitating nursing research through access to nursing and health data systems.
- Providing data to influence nursing education and health policy.
ICN Worldwide Coverage
The International Council of Nurses (ICN), which represents national nurses’ associations in over 120 countries, has provided the framework for developing the ICNP. With the collaboration of various partners, including informatics experts, researchers, governments, and industries, the ICNP aims to ensure nursing data is readily available and utilized in health care systems globally.
Historical Overview
The ICNP project was initiated by the ICN in 1989 in response to the lack of a common language to describe nursing’s contributions to health care. The ICNP Development Team was formed in 1990, and the first Alpha Version of ICNP was published in 1996, followed by the Beta Version in 1999 and Beta 2 Version in 2000.
Establishment of the ICNP Program
In 2000, the ICNP was formally established as an ICN program, which further reinforced ICN’s commitment to the project. The program focuses on three main activity clusters:
- Communication and Marketing
- Research and Development
- Coordination and Program Management
These activities aim to promote global participation in the development and maintenance of the ICNP.
Nature of ICNP
The ICNP is designed to evolve continuously as nursing science and technology advance. The terminology must remain current to meet international standards and work alongside other health care informatics and terminology initiatives. The development of ICNP is dynamic and incorporates contributions from nurses worldwide. Over 25 translations of the ICNP Beta Version have been completed, allowing for broader global research participation.
Program and Activities of ICNP
The ICNP Program supports research and development through various activities. One key initiative is the ICNP Evaluation Committee, which reviews and recommends terms and definitions for inclusion in the ICNP. Nursing Practice Expert Reviewers from over 25 countries participate in this process. Examples of new terms submitted for ICNP inclusion include homelessness, gender violence, family crisis, and community development.
ICNP Reference List Database
To support networking and research collaboration, the ICNP maintains a reference list and database of ICNP development and evaluation projects on the ICN website. Research projects involving concept validation, cross-mapping, and evaluation studies are included. The ICNP is continually enhanced through projects that create catalogues of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes.
Partnerships of ICNP
Partnerships are critical for the success of the ICNP Program. The ICN collaborates with national nurses’ associations and health care and governmental organizations globally. An example is the German-language ICNP Users Group, which includes participants from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The ICN has also established ICN Research and Development Centers to focus on ICNP-related projects. These collaborations aim to promote global use of ICNP and ensure it serves as a unifying framework for nursing practice worldwide.
The ICN launched ICNP Version 1 in 2005, compliant with international standards, marking an important step towards integrating the ICNP into global health care systems.