Post
It is difficult to underestimate the significance of the development of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) by the International Council of Nurses [ICN] (2017a). This framework intends to articulate nursing practice in general, and one of its catalogues is devoted to disaster nursing (ICN, 2017a). This catalogue can be viewed as a language of disaster. In particular, it provides the terminology that can enable the communication of the nurses engaged in disaster management and those preparing to do so.
As a result, this classification facilitates the dissemination and retrieval of information worldwide, contributing to the development of disaster nursing. It is also noteworthy that the project is a product of nurses’ collaboration; for example, the International Council of Nurses (2017b) highlights the importance of translating the updates of the classification, which is predominantly done by volunteer nurses. Thus, the classification is both a product of nursing collaboration and a tool that can enhance it, which, in my opinion, makes the project and its idea of developing a unified language rather sustainable.
First Response
Thank you for your comment; it appears to have summarised all the key functions performed by a standardised nursing language. One of the important aspects that you highlight is the improvement of patient care: I agree with you, and I suggest that every outcome and feature of disaster languages which we have discussed can have a positive impact on patient care. For instance, the improvement of communication between specialists (not necessarily only nurses; multidisciplinary teams are also likely to benefit from unified nursing languages) helps to coordinate their activities and encourages the sharing of information.
The former outcome is directly beneficial for patient care, and the latter is bound to help indirectly by developing individual and collective nursing knowledge. Similarly, data collection contributes to evidence-based care, which is also beneficial for patient care, and, as it was established, disaster languages facilitate data collection. Therefore, the development of unified nursing and disaster languages is relevant for improving the quality of care and patient safety.
Second Response
Thank you very much for your overview of the Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery Project; it is both informational and inspirational, and it appears to be important that you focus on a particular contributor. Mentioning various players that contribute to the development of disaster nursing and its languages helps to illustrate the way the global community collaborates to develop a unified terminology. The International Council of Nurses (n.d.) recognises this fact, and one of the features that help ICNP to respond to other contributions is its ability to be cross-mapped with different classifications (p. 1), which is achieved by establishing partnerships with various developers.
The positive outcomes of these partnerships are apparent and include information and knowledge sharing and the support of the nurses who are used to specific terminologies. In my view, this approach to cooperation is most helpful; although the final aim of any unified language project is probably the achievement of complete uniformity, the process can be facilitated and enhanced by cross-referencing and developing partnerships between different contributors.
References
International Council of Nurses. (2017a). ICNP® catalogues. Web.
International Council of Nurses. (2017b). ICNP® translations. Web.
International Council of Nurses. (n.d.). ICNP® information sheet. Web.