This document specifies the characteristics of categorial structures, representing nursing practice. The overall aim of this document is to support interoperability in the exchange of meaningful information between information systems in respect of nursing diagnoses, nursing actions and nurse sensitive outcomes. Categorial structures for nursing diagnoses, nursing actions, nurse sensitive outcomes and associated categories support interoperability by providing common frameworks with which to
a) analyse the features of different terminologies, including pre- and post-coordinated expressions, those of other healthcare disciplines, and to establish the nature of the relationship between them,^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}
b) develop terminologies for representing nursing diagnoses, nursing actions,^{[9][10][11][12]} and nurse sensitive outcomes,
c) develop terminologies that are able to be related to each other,^[3][8][13] and
d) establish relationships between terminology models, information models, including archetypes, and ontologies in the nursing domain.^{[14][15][16][45]}

There is early evidence that the categorial structures can be used as a framework for analysing nursing practice,^[17] for developing nursing content of electronic record systems,^[18][19] document the value of nursing services provided and to make nursing’s contribution visible^{[16][36][47][50]}.