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TSD / Cataloging and Metadata Management: Fundamentals of the NLM® Classification

General Principles

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Nursing Materials

  • Use the WY schedule for works that are about:
    • Nursing procedures
    • Nurse's role
    • Nursing profession
  • If the MeSH chosen as the primary subject contains "Nursing" in the main heading or uses the topical subheading nursing, classify in WY
  • Classify nursing care of a specific disease in WY 150-164 in the special field of nursing associated with the specialty (e.g., nursing care of eye diseases in WY 158)
  • If the disease is treed in multiple places and there are two nursing specialties that are appropriate:
    • Search the disease in the classification index
    • Use the nursing specialty associated with the class number assigned to the disease
      • For example, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is treed under Coronavirus Infections and Respiratory Tract Infections. It is classed in WC 505 in the Communicable Diseases schedule. Therefore, nursing of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is classed at WY 153, Communicable disease nursing rather than WY 163, Respiratory system nursing.
  • Examples:
    • Catalog a work defining the nurse's role in treatment of hypertension as follows:
      • 060 10 $a WY 152.5
      • 650 12 $a Hypertension $x nursing
    • Catalog a work on hypertension written as background material for a nursing audience, that does not include information on the nurse's role as follows:
      • 060 10 $a WG 340
      • 650 12 $a Hypertension
      • 655   2 $a Nurses’ Instruction


Last Reviewed: April 16, 2021