Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS)

PNDS (Perioperative Nursing Data Set)

Perioperative nursing is a subspecialty of nursing that deals with patients who are having surgical or invasive procedures. These nurses work closely with surgeons, nurse anesthetists, and surgical technologists. This type of nurse can work either preoperatively, intraoperatively, or postoperatively. They have many areas where they interact with patients, other providers and each other.

Given the uniqueness of this specialty the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Board of Directors recognized the need for the development of a national computerized database specific for the field. This six year process began in 1993. The specialized language was to be used to show the different types of patient problems that the perioperative nurse faced.

Expert members of AORN came together to undergo this monumental task. Particular among them was Dr. Suzanne Beyea, AORN's director of Perioperative Research. Through her dedication and continuous efforts, the PNDS was finalized in 1999. It is the first nursing language developed by a specialty organization to be recognized by the American Nursing Association (ANA) as a data set that is "useful to the practice of nursing".


PNDS utilizes data sets as a defined collection of data elements. An example is "nursing interventions" which represents a data element. PNDS has uniquely structured and defined diagnostic terms, interventions and outcomes with specific codes. Some of the benefits of PNDS are that it allows for structure in the documentation and evaluation of nursing care, for precise and complete data analysis, for benchmarking activities among different healthcare organizations, and for costing based on activity.

For the nurses using the system and the other providers that review these records, it standardizes the nursing documentation, which gives ease of reading and understanding and promotes the continuity of care of the patient. It can also provide specific language for clinical pathways and replication of outcomes, guide the development of policies and procedures,  provide language for quality indicators, facilitate clinical-based research activities, and assist in measurement and evaluation of patient care outcomes.

There is a PNDS Reference for PDA or Pocket PC with is a good example of how this system works. 

References

Graling, P.R. (2012) Understanding Perioperative Nursing Through PNDS. Retrieved from http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/Understanding-Perioperative-Nursing-Through-PNDS.aspx

Perioperative Nursing Data Set. Retrieved from http://people.duke.edu/~newki001/

Perioperative Nursing. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perioperative_nursing