ENGENDER NANDA Guideline: Ensuring Gender inclusion in NANDA-I. A Delphi Study.

AIM: To develop a guideline for the integration of the gender perspective in the use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses.

DESIGN

The Delphi technique was used in order to reach consensus between two groups of experts: (a) in nursing diagnoses and (b) in gender, thus allowing us to draw up the guidelines to include the gender perspective in the three levels of the NANDA- taxonomy (domains, classes and diagnoses).

METHODS

The Delphi study included four rounds. The first was carried out considering a qualitative approach to define the items of the guidelines followed by three Delphi rounds to reach consensus combining quantitative thresholds and qualitative feedback. Thirty experts were invited to participate in order to assess and reach consensus on two main criteria: relevance and feasibility of the items. Consensus was evaluated by calculating the mean and standard deviation of each item according to the scores obtained by the participating experts. The study followed the CREDES Guidelines.

RESULTS

The participants included 20 experts in gender and NANDA-I nursing diagnoses. The Delphi process yielded 14 indicators, organized into three domains. This process integrates the consideration of differentiating characteristics in terms of sex, the use of non-sexist language in the diagnosis, the consideration of the gender perspective in the process of clinical reasoning and the need for including gender experts in the process of translating NANDA-I language into languages that use binary gender nouns.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public involvement occurred in the design or conduct of this study.

REPORTING METHOD: In order to allow critical appraisal of the methodology and resulting guidance, the study followed the CREDES Guidelines, a reporting standard for Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies.