Moving Beyond Nursing Standardized Language for Substance Use Problems.

Nursing knowledge has been accompanied by the evolution of nursing standardized language systems (SLS) that can help nurses to systematize nursing care. We analyzed referential integrity (diagnosis, results, interventions) of substance related problems in Nursing SLS through documentary analysis: ICNP®, NANDA-I, Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC), Nursing Outcome Classification (NOC), NANDA NIC NOC (NNN). ICNP® has a definition of "substance abuse" but there are no clinical indicators or related factors to help formulate a diagnosis. NANDA-I does not define any related diagnosis, although it appears as related to or as a risk factor in 36 diagnoses. In NIC and NOC there are interventions and outcomes related. The phenomenon is omitted in NANDA-I and treated in a stigmatized manner by ICNP. Clear clinical indicators may be needed to help nursing diagnosis and to lead clinical reasoning.