Sandra Baker's review of the book Nursing Knowledge and Clinical Practice by Sister Callista Roy and Dorothy a. Jones details the books' quest to determine how nurses learn and then apply knowledge. The review provides an overview of the books information, which includes the two main concepts of nurse learning that have dominated the field for the past several decades. These are problem-solving (knowledge comes from external sources) and process oriented (knowledge comes from inside). The book also puts forward a third notion of the universal cosmic imperative. This article repeats the book's concern that theory is not often enough tied to research, and comments that the book asks probing and insightful questions that require further research into learning theory and application.

An article by Rogers et al. In the Journal for Human Caring describes how the field of nursing has been changed by the advent and integration of human science. Individuality and creativity have become more encouraged in nursing education, and behaviorism is largely a thing of the past. Instead of seeing education as a linear thing with predictable results, this article details how nursing education has come to be viewed from the Human-Education Caring Paradigm, which is more individualistic and less linear. It emphasizes the connectivity of all human beings and indeed the entire universe, requiring a broader view of nursing and its education.

Nursing beds" are examined in a literature review by Peter Griffiths and Jennifer Wilson-Barnett in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. These situations, wherein a nurse is the clinical leader of a given patient/unit, has shown greater patient independence and decreased readmission and mortality. Cost savings were a common feature of the studies reviewed, as well. Firm conclusions were difficult to come too, however, as the theoretical frameworks were not easily applicable to real-world situations. The authors suggest adopting a new research framework for field studies in order to correct this.

References

Baker, S. (2008, March). "Nursing knowledge development and clinical practice" (review). Nursing education perspectives, 29(2), 114.

Griffiths, P. & Wilson-Barnett, J. (1998). "The effectiveness of nursing bed: a review of the literature." Journal of advanced nursing, 27, 1184-92.

Lewis, S.; Rogers, M. & Naef, Rahel. (2006). "Caring human-science philosophy in nursing education: Beyond the curriculum revolution." International journal for human caring, 10(4), 31-7.