Skip to main content

A proposed expert system for nursing practice

A springboard to nursing science

Journal of Medical Systems volume 9, pages 57–68 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

The knowledge on which nursing practice is based comes largely from traditional sources, expert nurses passing on the wisdom of their experience to novices. Nursing research, although increasing, is usually parallel to nursing practice, and its findings, at best, are implemented only after long delays. Consequently, the most effective nursing responses to a particular client problem may be undiscovered or unknown. Nursing information systems reflect the nature and usage of nursing knowledge. They offer standard care plans, but the knowledge and decision structures for individualizing care remain exclusively in the mind of the nurse. Nurses may have great freedom to enter information into the information system, but the information is rarely retrievable in a form suitable for evaluation or research. Nursing practice, and the knowledge on which it is based, could be enhanced through the use of a novel expert system. This paper describes how such a system could be developed, with examples from the authors' prototype programs. Taxonomies of data, diagnoses, objectives, and interventions would make it possible to compare patients and to determine the relative effectiveness of nursing interventions. A built-in evaluation component would provide feedback and correction. Everyday nursing practice would become a field for research, and the knowledge gained from research would immediately be fed back into practice. In its development and in its implementation, this kind of system would help to build nursing science.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Nightingale, F.,Notes on nursing: What it is and what it is not, Appleton, New York, 1860. Republished Dover, New York, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Henderson, V.,ICN basic principles of nursing care, ICN (International Council of Nurses) House, London, 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Orem, D. E.,Nursing: Concepts of practice, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Orem, D. E.,Nursing: Concepts of practice, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Roy, C., Sr., Adaptation: A conceptual framework for nursing.Nursing Outlook 18(3):42–45, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Roy, C., Sr., Adaptation: A basis for nursing practice.Nursing Outlook 19:254–257, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Rogers, M. E.,An introduction to the theoretical basis of nursing, Davis, Philadelphia, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Erickson, H. C., Tomlin, E. M., and Swain, M. A. P.,Modeling and role-modeling; a theory and paradigm for nursing, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  9. American Nurse's Association,Nursing: A social policy statement. Author, Kansas City, Missouri, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Romano, C., Documentation of nursing practice using a computerized medical information system.Proceedings of the fifth annual symposium on computer applications in medical care. IEEE Computer Society, Los Angeles, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kerlinger, F. N.,Foundations of behavioral research, 2nd ed., Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Moses, E. A., and Roth, A., Nursepower: What do statistics reveal about the nation's nurses.Am. J. Nursing 79:1745–1756, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kritek, P. B., Current nomenclature and classification systems.Classification of nursing diagnoses: Proceedings of the fifth national conference (M. J. Kim, G. K. McFarland, and A. M. McLane, eds.), Mosby, St. Louis, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gall, J. E.,Demonstration and evaluation of a total hospital information system (DHEW Pub. No. (HRA) 77-31880), U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Mayers, M. G., and El Camino Hospital,Standard nursing care plans, Vol. 1, K.P. Medical Systems, Palo Alto, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mayers, M. G.,A systematic approach to the nursing care plan, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Maslow, A.,Toward a psychology of being, Van Nostrand, Princeton, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Light, N., Computers in nursing practice: On-line nursing care plans.Comput. Nursing 1(3):4, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Horn, B. J., and Swain, M. A.,Criterion measures of nursing care quality: A health status instrument (PHS Publ. No. 78-3187), U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ozbolt, J. G., A prototype information system to aid nursing decisions.Proceedings of the sixth annual symposium on computer applications in medical care, IEEE Computer Society, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ozbolt, J. G., Schultz II, S., Swain, M. A. P., Abraham, I. L., and Stein, K. F., Developing an expert system for nursing practice.Proceedings of the eighth annual symposium on computer applications in medical care, IEEE Computer Society, Siver Spring, Maryland, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Abraham, I. L., Schultz II, S., Ozbolt, J. G., and Swain, M. A. P., A multivariate algorithm for diagnostic information systems: Data acquisition and storage procedures.Proceedings of the Fifth Congress of the European Federation for Medical Informatics, Belgian Society for Medican Informatics, Brussels, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Abraham, I. L., Schultz II, S., Ozbolt, J. G., and Swain, M. A. P., A mutivariate mathematical algorithm for diagnostic information systems: Procedures for clinical inference.Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, IEEE Computer Society, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. From the Center for Nursing Research, The University of Michigan, 48109, Ann Arbor, Michigan

    Judy G. Ozbolt, Samuel Schultz II, Mary Ann Swain & Ivo L. Abraham

  2. the School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, 44106, Cleveland, Ohio

    Judy G. Ozbolt, Samuel Schultz II, Mary Ann Swain & Ivo L. Abraham

Authors
  1. Judy G. Ozbolt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Samuel Schultz II
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mary Ann Swain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ivo L. Abraham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ozbolt, J.G., Schultz, S., Swain, M.A. et al. A proposed expert system for nursing practice. J Med Syst 9, 57–68 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992522

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992522

Keywords

  • Expert System
  • Nurse Research
  • Nursing Practice
  • Relative Effectiveness
  • Decision Structure