[Comment about the policy statement of the MDS. A position statement of the assessment group of the University Witten/Herdecke with regard to nursing documentation].
In 2005 the Medical Advisory Service of Social Health Insurance (MDS) in Germany published a policy statement with regard to the nursing process and documentation. According to the intention of the association, this statement should be considered as recommendations which are able to improve nursing practice and to contribute to streamlining of bureaucracy in nursing care. Recognising the broad impact of this publication on nursing institutions, a working group on nursing assessment of the University Witten/Herdecke conducted a critical review of the statement. Significant criteria for evaluation were the primary role of nursing documentation, quality requirements for the documentation as well as recent scientific results concerning the implementation of nursing process and assessment-based nursing diagnoses. The review revealed that the statement lacks of a clear rationale and its content appears to be merely research-based. Therefore it has to be questioned if the publication will accomplish the claimed effects. In fact, future quality criteria for health care are to be developed independently on the basis of scientific results and in consideration of the experiences of all concerned social groups.
Bartholomeyczik
Sabine
S
Private Universität Witten/Herdecke gGmbH, Lehrstuhl für Epidemiologie-Pflegewissenschaft, Witten.
Halek
Margareta
M
Hunstein
Dirk
D
Isfort
Michael
M
Roser
Jens-Martin
JM
Hebart-Herrmann
Maria
M
Bernhard
Flora
F
Schreier
Maria-Magdalena
MM
Cramer
Henning
H
Wagner
Antje
A
D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards*; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000592:standards; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis / Q000592:standards; D009736:Nursing Process / Q000592:standards*; D009737:Nursing Records / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards