Each group of nurses met every 1-2 weeks, for the labor group 6 months, for the diabetics group one year. They were paid for the 1½ - 2 hour consensus sessions, but made individual selections of the NANDA, NIC and NOC categories on their own time. Over the 6-12 month time period, the nurses’ involvement and ownership increased. They enjoyed the interplay as they spoke about patients they had experienced. They felt that making the linkages between the NIC and NOC labels was the most challenging, and at times they struggled to come to consensus. The final product for people with diabetes consisted of 14 NANDA diagnoses, 166 NIC interventions, and 124 NOC outcomes. The product for women in labor consisted of 13 NANDA diagnoses, 51 NIC interventions, and 37 NOC outcomes.

There were common themes that were evident in both groups: (1) the enormity of the project scope even with defined populations, (2) realization that their memories of NANDA categories were not accurate, (3) the need for consensus necessitated critical thinking skills, (4) the value of collaboration with each other, (5) the feelings of professional power, and (6) the connection between scholarly research and research at the bedside.

The research findings, common themes, and implications will be described.