Role of Theory and Philosophy Thesis
- Length: 4 pages
- Sources: 3
- Subject: Health - Nursing
- Type: Thesis
- Paper: #70782494
- Related Topics: Theory Of Caring, Role Model, Philosophy Of Nursing, Nursing Philosophy
Excerpt from Thesis :
nursing is both a discipline and a professionAll of these affect fundamental nursing values such as emotional support for patients and the importance of touch.
Imogene King's conceptual model includes three types of dynamic, interacting systems: personal systems (represented by individuals), interpersonal systems (represented by such dyadic interactions as nurse-patient dialogue), and social systems (represented by larger institutions such as hospitals and families). (Imogene King, J.P. Riehl-Sisca, 1989) further example of theory developing into concept and ultimately into model and practice is Katharine Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort. Holistic comfort is defined as the immediate experience of being strengthened through having the needs for relief, ease, and transcendence met in four contexts of experience (physical, psycho spiritual, social, and environmental) (Kolcaba, 1994)
The Concept of Philosophy in Nursing
Despite over a century of philosophical thinking in nursing, philosophical inquiry has yet to be positioned as contributing substantially to the field of nursing's inquiry. There is a need to articulate the nature and characteristics of philosophical inquiry for researchers new to this perspective. We begin by addressing a common question that surfaces when one begins a work that is philosophical in nature, how does one differentiate between nursing philosophy and nursing theory? (Barbara Pesut, Joy Johnson, 2008)
Unlike science, which relies upon investigative methods, philosophical inquiry relies upon the capacities to think and reason. Problems characteristic of philosophical inquiry include conceptual clarification, analysis of arguments and problems related to the ontology, epistemology and ethics of nursing.
Although methodological approaches to philosophical inquiry are diverse, common tools include assumptions and the intellectual processes of conceptualizing, judging and reasoning within a context of wonder. Some have argued that to neglect philosophy in nursing is to place the discipline at risk. However, there is little guidance available to researchers new to this method of inquiry. (Barbara Pesut, Joy Johnson, 2008)
Within modern nursing philosophy, care is conceptualized in a number of ways, depending on philosophical stance and world view. What seems absolutely necessary is to differentiate between the concept of care on the super ordinate level and each individual philosopher's unique perspective on care. As a super ordinate term, nursing care encompasses the patient's fundamental needs, as well as the patient's values and experience. Typical basic characteristics associated with nursing care can be grouped into three mutually reinforcing areas: the notion of excellence in nursing care, the relationship between nursing care and moral values, and caring as an interpretational exercise. (Austgard, 2008)
Nursing care is characterized by the holistic view and the moral inherent in excellent nursing. Excluding the patient as a unique human being, should be regarded as noncaring and amoral practice. Whether nursing care represents a specific domain of knowledge is still an unanswered question, and something which has consequences for the application of a caring philosophy in nursing practice and the state of caring knowledge in nursing. (Austgard, 2008)
Bibliography
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Barbara Pesut, Joy Johnson. (2008). Understanding Philosophical Inquiry in Nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 115-121.
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