The Omaha System: Past, Present and Future
Karen S. Martin, RN, MSN, FAAN
The Omaha System is a research-based taxonomy that describes and measures health related problems, interventions, and outcomes of care. Beginning with the initial research in 1975, its terms, codes, and definitions have been designed to facilitate practice, documentation, and information management. Clinicians, administrators, faculty, students, and researchers use the Omaha System nationally and internationally. Although many users are nurses, the System is also used by members of other disciplines. This article is a summary about the history, structure, content, and use of the Omaha System. Additional details are available in numerous publications, videotapes, software, and the Internet.
Keywords: Omaha System, client problems, interventions, outcomes, standardized vocabulary