Using the nursing minimum data set for the Netherlands (NMDSN) to illustrate differences in patient populations and variations in nursing activities

Rationale: A nursing minimum data set (NMDS) provides data that are useful to legitimate nurses' contribution to healthcare. In Belgium and the US, su ch NMDS are operational, other countries are developing it, among which is the Netherlands. Objective: To evaluate whether the nursing minimum data set for the Netherl ands (NMDSN) is suitable to describe the diversity of patient populations a nd the variability of nursing care. Methodology: Using the NMDSN data collection forms, patient data were colle cted from 15 different hospital wards. During one week, nurses manually com pleted the NMDSN list for every patient. The data analysis methodology from the Belgian MVG was used, including ridit analysis and graphs. Results: The NMDSN includes items related to hospital, patient demographics , medical condition, nursing process, nursing phenomena, nursing interventi ons, outcomes of nursing care, and complexity of care. There were 686 indiv idual patients in the study, while for the data analysis their 2090 patient days in the hospital were used. Frequencies of nursing phenomena, nursing activities and results of care were calculated, transformed into ridit scor es, and presented graphically as 'fingerprints'. Conclusion: The set of NMDSN items allows illustrating the diversity of pat ient populations, and variation in nursing care by means of 'fingerprints'. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.