The technological evolution of the information field has been steady along the present days thus making the nursing science to pursue its development in the same area. As such, there is the need to develop the classifications for nursing practice, with standard languages which allow for the communication of its body of knowledge and practice. Reality in Brazil shows that there are very few attempts to use those Classifications, either diagnoses, interventions or outcomes, although there are many nursing records with non-standard language. This article aims at introducing and describing the Cross-mapping method, which provides a mapping of nursing records with non-standardized language into standardized classification systems. The article is also a very brief approach to some existing classifications and it encompasses an example of how to use the Cross-mapping method, its processes and rules, as a helping tool for research development in the field, thus playing its role in the nursing body of knowledge.
Nursing research; Nursing records
