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ABSTRACT Aims Design Methods Results Conclusions Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Impact Reporting Method Patient or Public Contribution To explore the impact of medical complexity, defined by the number of chronic conditions, on the complexity of care, as described by the frequency of nursing diagnoses (NDs) and nursing actions (NAs), in paediatric patients.Retrospective observational study.This study was conducted in an Italian university hospital and involved the analysis of electronic health records for neonatal and paediatric patients who were consecutively admitted from January to December 2022. The sample was classified into three categories—non‐chronic, single chronic and multimorbid patients—according to their clinical profiles. NDs recorded within the first 24 h from patient hospital admission and NAs performed throughout the hospital stay were counted for each group.Distinct variations in the prevalence and patterns of NDs and NAs were observed across different levels of medical complexity. A significant moderate positive correlation between the number of NDs and NAs was found. However, the frequency of NDs did not directly correlate with the number of chronic conditions. Conversely, a weak but significant negative correlation was identified between the quantity of NAs and the number of chronic conditions. While the frequency of NDs showed a stable but decreasing trend as the number of chronic conditions increased, a higher number of chronic conditions were associated with a lower quantity of NAs.We discovered a notable variation in the complexity of care across varying levels of medical complexity in paediatric patients. Our findings suggest that the complexity of care does not necessarily correspond to the degree of medical complexity. The observed negative relationship between the number of chronic conditions and the quantity of NAs underscores the need for further research to explore this unexpected finding and its implications for clinical practice.Without the adoption of standardised nursing terminologies, such as nursing diagnoses (NDs) and nursing actions (NAs), assessing the complexity of care in paediatric settings can be challenging. Integrating clinical nursing information systems that incorporate standardised NDs and NAs into electronic health records is crucial for accurately documenting and analysing the complexity of care and its relationship with medical complexity. In paediatric patients, the frequency of nursing diagnoses (NDs) at hospital admission is significantly associated with the quantity of nursing actions (NAs) delivered during hospitalisation. However, there is no correlation between the frequency of NDs and medical complexity, as defined by the number of chronic disorders. Specifically, the frequency of NDs decreases with increasing medical complexity, while the quantity of NAs is negatively associated with the number of chronic disorders. This indicates that the complexity of care cannot be inferred solely from medical complexity, and additional factors need to be explored. These findings enhance understanding of how complexity of care relates to medical complexity in paediatric patients. Insights into the prevalence and patterns of NDs and NAs can benefit nurses, managers, researchers and policymakers by informing clinical and organisational decision‐making to ensure high‐quality care. The study adhered to the RECORD Statement.Patients, service users, caregivers or public members were not directly involved in the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of data or in writing this paper. Patients contributed only to data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the importance of standardized nursing terminologies (SNTs) in improving clinical nursing information systems (CNISs) and advancing nursing practice. Topics discussed include the role of SNTs in enhancing patient care visibility, challenges with their implementation in electronic health records (EHRs), and the effectiveness of Italy's Professional Assessment Instrument (PAI) system in improving nursing documentation and patient outcomes.

Aims: To describe the health literacy (HL) levels of hospitalised patients and their relationship with nursing diagnoses (NDs), nursing interventions and nursing measures for clinical risks. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: The study was conducted from December 2020 to December 2021 in an Italian university hospital. From 146 wards, 1067 electronic nursing records were randomly selected. The Single‐Item Literacy Screener was used to measure HL. Measures for clinical risks were systematically assessed by nurses using Conley Index score, the Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score, Braden score, and the Barthel Index. A univariable linear regression model was used to assess the associations of HL with NDs. Results: Patients with low HL reported a higher number of NDs, interventions and higher clinical risks. HL can be considered a predictor of complexity of care. Conclusions: The inclusion of standardised terms in nursing records can describe the complexity of care and facilitate the predictive ability on hospital outcomes. Implications for the profession and/or patient care: HL evaluation during the first 24 h. From hospital admission could help to intercept patients at risk of higher complexity of care. These results can guide the development of interventions to minimise needs after discharge. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution was required to design or undertake this research. Patients contributed only to the data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background/objectives: The complexity of care requires systematic documentation to fully understand its relationship with medical complexity and its impact on patient outcomes. The Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS) plays a crucial role by capturing essential nursing data, enabling a detailed analysis of care and its impact on outcomes, such as length of stay (LOS). However, despite its potential, the use of NMDS in paediatric care remains limited. This study aims to explore the association between nursing and medical complexities and LOS in paediatric patients., Methods: A descriptive, retrospective, monocentric study will be conducted. The data will be collected through a nursing information system (Professional Assessment Instrument (PAI ped )) and the hospital discharge register of patients admitted to the paediatric department in 2022 in an Italian university hospital. Conclusions and Expected Results: The use of PAI ped will allow for the description of the complexity of care and enable an analysis of its relationship with medical complexity and LOS.