The Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) has defined seven domains to categorize the different types of nursing interventions.1 The seven nursing intervention domains are as follows:
- Behavioral
- Community
- Family
- Health system
- Basic physiological
- Complex physiological
- Safety
As you explore this nursing intervention list, keep in mind that nurses have many opportunities to specialize in different areas. Consider whether you might decide to pursue a specialization. For example, if you like the concept of community health, you might decide to pursue a career as a public health nurse.
Behavioral nursing interventions refer to actions designed to help patients change their behaviors to improve their health. An example of this could be working with a patient to form healthier eating habits.
Community nursing interventions include actions designed to share and improve information about public health initiatives. For example, working on a campaign to raise awareness about a health issue or disease that helps the community would fit into this type of intervention.
Family nursing interventions include actions that affect a patient’s family as well as the patient themselves. This could involve walking family members through how to support a relative who has been diagnosed with an illness and explaining how to look out for one another’s needs.
Health system nursing interventions include actions designed to maintain a clean, safe medical facility for all patients and staff. This important aspect can include following procedure to keep patients healthy by reducing their risk of infection.
Physiological nursing interventions include actions that involve a patient’s physical health or well-being. When performing these types of nursing interventions, the priority is to promote the patient’s physical health. For example, placing the patient on intravenous fluids and assisting the patient in maintaining hygiene are complex and basic physiological interventions, respectively.
Safety nursing interventions refer to actions that protect a patient’s safety while also helping to prevent injuries. These can take many different forms and may include helping a patient stay hydrated and healthy or taking precautions to help patients avoid falling.