This article which recently came out which shows how using a standardized taxonomy in an EMR we can begin to measure the effectiveness or impact of nursing activities on patient outcomes.
The research involves an ogranization that uses a nursing information system which incorporates the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). Using NIC and the definition of surveillance as the “purposeful and ongoing acquisition, interpretation, and synthesis of patient data for clinical decision making” - they found that patients who had surveillance done 12 times a day, or greater, decreased the odds of a failure to rescue.
Shever, L. L. (2011). The impact of nursing surveillance on failure to rescue. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 25(2), 107-126.
Link to PubMed citation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696091