Free nursing outcomes classification list

Key takeaways

The Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) is a standardized taxonomy of 612 patient outcomes organized under seven domains and 34 classes.

NOC outcomes are measured on a 1-5 Likert scale to track patient progress and evaluate the effects of nursing interventions.

NOC integrates with NANDA-I diagnoses and NIC interventions within the NNN Alliance framework for complete care planning.

Pabau’s structured clinical documentation features support NOC outcome recording and care plan tracking across multi-location practices.

The nursing outcomes classification list is the reference clinicians use to measure whether nursing care moved the patient.

Developed at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, NOC gives every outcome a name, a set of indicators, and a rating scale.

This guide covers all seven NOC domains and how to score an outcome on the 1-5 Likert scale. It also places NOC alongside NANDA-I diagnoses and NIC interventions. Practice management software like Pabau then keeps those ratings consistent across a team, through structured medical records management.

What is the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)?

The Nursing Outcomes Classification is a standardized taxonomy for measuring what happens to a patient after nursing care is delivered. It is published by the University of Iowa’s Center for Nursing Classification and Clinical Effectiveness. The taxonomy covers patient, caregiver, family, and community outcomes.

The 7th edition contains 612 distinct outcomes, organized under seven domains and 34 classes. Each outcome carries a definition, a set of outcome indicators, and a measurement scale. That scale is almost always the 1-5 Likert rating used to track a patient from baseline to target.

• Why NOC matters: standardized outcome language cuts documentation variability and creates the evidence trail that accreditation and reimbursement reviews ask for.
• Origin: NOC was developed in the 1990s at the University of Iowa, alongside NIC, so the nursing process had measurable language end to end.
• Current scope: NOC is built into major EHR systems and underpins outcome measurement in academic medical centers, ambulatory practices, and long-term care.

Our guide to nursing documentation covers how NOC ratings sit alongside assessments, progress notes, and flow sheets in the record.

The seven NOC domains and what they measure

All 612 outcomes fall into seven domains, each covering a different dimension of health status. The domain tells you what kind of change is being measured, from physiological stability to health behaviors.

Each domain breaks down into classes, then into named outcomes. The Functional Health domain, for example, holds outcomes for ambulation, self-care independence, and nutritional status. Each one is rated on its own.

NOC outcome indicators and how they are measured

Each NOC outcome carries several outcome indicators. These are the observable signs a clinician documents when judging whether the patient has moved.

The 1-5 Likert scale

NOC rates every outcome indicator on a 1-5 Likert scale. The wording of the labels shifts with the outcome type, but the pattern holds.

Clinicians score baseline status at admission, then re-score at set intervals. The distance between baseline and target is the measured effect of the nursing intervention.

Outcome examples by domain

Examples make the list concrete. Each domain holds dozens of outcomes, so here are three from each.

• Functional Health: “Ambulation” (walking independently), “Self-Care: Bathing” (independence in hygiene), “Nutritional Status” (adequacy of food and fluid intake)
• Physiological Health: “Fluid Balance” (hydration and electrolyte levels), “Tissue Perfusion” (blood flow to organs and tissues), “Infection Severity” (extent of infection present)
• Psychosocial Health: “Anxiety Level” (severity of anxious thoughts), “Depression Severity” (extent of depressed mood), “Social Interaction Skills” (quality of interpersonal engagement)
• Health Knowledge and Behavior: “Medication Adherence Behavior” (keeping to the schedule), “Health-Seeking Behavior” (engagement in prevention), “Disease Knowledge” (understanding of condition management)
• Perceived Health: “Quality of Life” (satisfaction with life circumstances), “Pain Level” (intensity and frequency of pain), “Symptom Control” (management of treatment symptoms)
• Family Health: “Caregiver Emotional Health” (caregiver stress and burnout), “Family Coping” (adaptive response to stressors), “Parental Role Performance” (adequacy of parenting behaviors)
• Community Health: “Community Health Status” (overall population well-being), “Disaster Preparedness” (readiness for emergencies), “Immunization Rates” (disease prevention coverage)

Set the outcome before you pick the intervention. Choosing “Anxiety Level” first tells you which indicators to watch. It also narrows the NIC interventions worth trying.

How to use NOC outcomes in a care plan

NOC works best inside the full NNN framework. Care planning links a NANDA-I diagnosis (the problem), NIC interventions (the action), and a NOC outcome (the result). Here is the sequence.

1. Identify the NANDA-I nursing diagnosis from the assessment data. Example: “Anxiety related to upcoming surgery.”
2. Select the NOC outcomes that measure resolution of that diagnosis. For anxiety, “Anxiety Level” sits in the Psychosocial Health domain. “Coping” and “Stress Level” work as secondary outcomes.
3. Set baseline and target ratings on the 1-5 scale. A baseline of 2 at admission and a target of 4 by discharge is typical.
4. Name the indicators you will observe. For “Anxiety Level” those include verbalized anxiety, restlessness, facial tension, and sleep disturbance.
5. Select NIC interventions that move the patient toward the target. For anxiety: anxiety reduction, active listening, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques.
6. Document what was delivered in the record, including which interventions ran and how often.
7. Re-score and adjust at set intervals. If ratings climb toward target, hold the plan. If they stall, change the interventions.

The chain below tracks that sequence through one care plan, from the diagnosis to the score that closes it.

Re-scoring is the step that turns a care plan into evidence, so schedule it with the visit rather than the shift handover. Our nursing care plan evaluation template sets out what to record at each review.

NOC, NIC, and NANDA-I: How the NNN Alliance fits together

The NNN Alliance is the working relationship between three nursing taxonomies. NANDA-I names the problem, NIC names the action, and NOC measures the result.

The linkage is what makes the record defensible. You have a root cause, an evidence-based action, and a measured result, all on the same care plan. Our list of nursing interventions covers the NIC side of that chain in the same format.

NOC in nursing informatics and electronic health records

EHR systems use NOC as the standard language for recording patient outcomes. That moves nursing documentation off free text and onto measurable fields.

A well-built EHR does five specific jobs with NOC.

• Links each NANDA-I diagnosis to its recommended NOC outcomes, so the nurse picks from a short list.
• Pre-populates the Likert rating fields, so baseline and current status take one tap each.
• Tracks each outcome over time and shows whether the patient is closing on target.
• Generates outcome reports for quality audits, accreditation reviews, and payer documentation.
• Compares results across a patient population to show which NIC interventions move NOC scores most.

Structured outcome fields also make the record easier to audit. Every rating carries a date, a scorer, and the scale it was measured on, which is what a reviewer asks for.

How Pabau embeds NOC outcomes in care plan documentation

Most teams keep NOC ratings wherever the care plan already lives. On paper that means a scale copied by hand onto each new sheet. In an unstructured EHR it means a free-text box that no report can read later.

Practice management software like Pabau builds the taxonomy into the form itself. The same patient intake software that captures the admission assessment can carry the NOC outcome list. Clinicians pick from a dropdown instead of typing.

That changes four parts of the workflow.

• Baseline and current ratings sit in fixed fields, so the Likert score is prompted at every visit.
• Each outcome links to the treatment note behind it, which gives you an auditable trail.
• Team dashboards show performance against target, so a stalled care plan surfaces early.
• The outcome list can be trimmed to the specialty, because mental health outcomes differ from acute care.

The result is that outcome measurement happens during the encounter rather than after it. That is what turns a care plan into evidence a reviewer will accept.

See Pabau’s structured outcome documentation in action

Pabau embeds NOC outcome measurement in your care plan templates and prompts Likert ratings at every visit. It also builds the outcome reports an accreditation review asks for.

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Conclusion

NOC earns its place when the rating gets re-scored. A baseline captured once and never revisited proves little, so what makes NOC work is a review schedule the team keeps.

Start with one domain per care plan and one outcome the team can observe at the bedside. Add domains as staff get fluent in the scale. Scoring all seven at once is how NOC gets abandoned by month two.

Download the template above to see the structure in a form you can hand to a nurse today. Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps NOC ratings prompted, dated, and reportable without extra admin.

Continue your research

Need the intervention side of the chain? List of nursing interventions covers NIC in the same format as this outcome list.

Documenting outcomes across a whole team? Nursing documentation shows where ratings sit alongside assessments and progress notes.

Choosing a system to hold the ratings? Clinical documentation software sets out what to look for before you commit.

Need the evaluation step written down? Evaluation nursing care plan gives you a structure for each review.

Mapping diagnoses to outcomes visually? Concept map nursing template links problem, intervention, and outcome on one page.

Frequently asked questions