Use of the Nursing Interventions Classification and Nurses' Workloads: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The Nursing Interventions Classification allows the systematic organisation of care treatments performed by nurses, and an estimation of the time taken to carry out the intervention is included in its characteristics. The aim of this study is to explore the evidence related to the use of the Nursing Interventions Classification in identifying and measure nurses’ workloads. Methods: A scoping review was conducted through a search of the databases Ovid Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, LILACS and Cuiden. The DeCS/MeSH descriptors were: “Standardized Nursing terminology” and “Workload”. The search was limited to articles in Spanish, English and Portuguese. No limits were established regarding year of publication or type of study. Results: Few reports were identified (n = 8) and these had methodological designs that contributed low levels of evidence. Research was focused on identifying specific interventions, types of activities, the prevalence of interventions and the time required to perform them. Conclusions: The evidence found on determination of nurses’ workloads using the Nursing Interventions Classification was inconclusive. It is essential to increase the number of reports, as well as the settings and clinical context in which the Nursing Interventions Classification is used, with greater quality and methodological rigour.