1. What is the difference between a minimal data element set and a standardized terminology?
2. Why should nurses care about an information infrastructure for nursing?
3. Can the individual professional nursing make a difference?
4. What can the individual professional nurse do to ensure an information infrastructure for nursing?
5. What can nursing specialty organizations do to support an information infrastructure for nursing?
6. How should nurses unite on this issue? Nationally and internationally.

Answer: The minimal data element sets in nursing designate only what data should be collected, e.g. a data of birth, a nursing diagnosis etc. A standardized terminology provides the established framework to use in collecting and organizing items in a minimal data element set. Other minimal data element sets may contain both the data needed as well as the terminology needed to collect it.

Q2. Why should nurses care about an information infrastructure for nursing?

Answer: An information infrastructure includes data derived from information systems populated with structured nursing vocabularies. These data provide nurses with the requisite building blocks to generate knowledge to make evidence-based clinical decisions. Structured vocabularies facilitate our abilities to manage information in an electronic format and compare clinical outcomes across settings. This capacity also provides a common means of communication.

Q3. Can the individual professional nursing make a difference?

Answer: Every nurse can make a difference as we move toward an information infrastructure for nursing. Asking software vendors the tough questions about their utilization of nursing structured vocabularies helps increase everyone's awareness of the importance of including nursing in the electronic patient record, identifies our data and information needs related to patient care, and highlights the need to retrieve information related to nurses' contributions. Nurses can help by sharing information with other nurses about the value of standardized vocabularies and showing others how easy it is to utilize structured vocabulary in nursing care plans and documentation forms.

It is crucial for the profession of nursing to build a critical mass of clinicians who support efforts related to an information legacy for nursing. Nurses can help this process by sharing information about resources such as this web page or by working locally, regionally, or nationally to implement structured vocabularies in nursing. Working together regardless of our clinical setting or specialty will help us build the information infrastructure required to support, enhance, and evolve nursing practice.

Q4. What can the individual professional nurse do to ensure an information infrastructure for nursing?

Answer: Individual nurses are making a difference in the creation of a "rich" nursing information infrastructure by:

• educating themselves and others on how the recognized terminologies and data element sets can be used and bring value to nursing practice
• collaborating with the ANA CNPII to ensure one's efforts are aligned toward a common nursing information infrastructure
• integrating the recognized terminologies and data element sets in their practices in ways that bring immediate value
• sharing their experiences using the recognized terminologies and data element sets with CNPII and others through multiple communication channels
• expecting that the highest quality NURSING information infrastructure can only be created by the profession leading the partnership with clinical information system developers and vendors.

Q5. What can nursing specialty organizations do to support an information infrastructure for nursing?

Answer: Specialty nursing organizations play a pivotal role in educating their members and providing clinical resources related to structured vocabulary. Helping nurses understand the significance of utilizing structured vocabulary can support clinicians iintegrating that content into practice. Specialty organizations' journals and newsletters can publish information about structured vocabularies and clinical exemplars regarding their use.

Specialty organizations should evaluate existing terminologies for their usefulness and not develop their own vocabularies or terminologies. Gaps in the existing terminologies should be identified and reported to the appropriate vocabulary developers. Specialty organizations should also monitor efforts to create an information infrastructure for nurses and keep their members informed about these efforts.

Q6. How should nurses unite on this issue? Nationally and internationally?

Answer: Many nurses are already united on this issue. Numerous individuals from the international community are actively involved in the development and refinement of the International Classification for Nursing Practice. In the United States many individuals, groups, and agencies are working with structured vocabularies in various clinical applications. Many software vendors have adopted one or more structured vocabularies and are working toward seamless integration of that content and structure into their solutions.

The American Nurses Association has taken a leadership role by developing standards for nursing vocabularies as well as nursing information systems. Such activities facilitate the ability of nurses to measure, monitor, and evaluate quality and effectiveness of nursing practice; support a professional practice model; and ensure focused, quality efforts related to establishing, maintaining, and enhancing an information infrastructure.

Valid clinical data informs decision-making related to reimbursement and health policy development. Without an information infrastructure, nursing practice remains invisible and perhaps non-existent. If you are interested in becoming involved, find out what is happening at your clinical facility. Another resource is your clinical specialty organization which may have ongoing efforts to develop an information infrastructure. Learn more about nursing informatics by taking a course or attending a continuing education offering. Network with others in your clinical agency or at local or regional meetings. Find out more and get involved - the future of professional nursing depends on our ability to establish an effective information infrastructure.