Academic literature on the topic 'Scope of Carper’s patterns of knowing in nursing'

An evolution in nursing in the United Kingdom in the 1970s from rule-bound toward holistic, autonomous practice engendered an examination of nursing’s body of knowledge and how it is incorporated into practice. This article describes Barbara Carper’s (1978) Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing (empiric, ethical, aesthetic, and personal knowledge), and links it to three major worldviews of the way in which knowledge is sought (positivism, naturalism, and critical social theory). Carper’s model was used in the United Kingdom as the basis for a curriculum of structured reflective practice using workshops, journaling, and clinical supervision. An example from a practitioner’s diary demonstrates how Carper’s model informs reflection on an interaction with a patient with newly diagnosed cancer.

Knowledge development is critical for the enhancement of evidence-based nursing practice and the overall delivery of care to obtain superior clinical outcomes. Nursing scholars have built on Carper’s (1975, 1978) fundamental patterns of knowing to improve nursing practice over the last 40 years and is still used today. Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) professionals should understand the various patterns of knowledge development and the implications provided for transforming health care models and systems in the clinical setting.

This article addresses the broad context of shifting definitions of how knowledge and reality can be described, including the transition from positivism to postpositivism in the 20th century. It provides an exploration of ways of knowing, from ancient Greek and yogic traditions to Barbara Carper’s Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing (1978). It examines three reported components of modern care (intuition, cultural knowing, and spirituality) which are simultaneously present and absent in nursing. It concludes with an imaginative exploration of how nursing might be changed by transdisciplinary scholarship and education, new knowledge creation through interactive online communities, and the emergence of collective wisdom.

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify evidence of nursing patterns of knowing disseminated by the Brazilian press before the implementation of Florence Nightingale’s model in Brazil and categorize topics of journalistic articles according to Carper’s and White’s patterns of knowing. Methods: categorical content analysis of materials related to Florence Nightingale, published in Brazil between 1850 and 1919, collected at Hemeroteca Digital. Four analysts identified themes of journalistic article, performing classification in patterns of knowing. Results: there was a predominance of evidence of the sociopolitical pattern followed by the empirical pattern. In the analyses per decade, ethical and aesthetic patterns showed predominance between 1860 and 1870, respectively. Conclusion: White’s classification by nursing patterns of knowing was useful in understanding precursor themes of professional/disciplinary knowledge that spread in Brazil, linked to Nightingale’s character, in addition to the repercussions of her actions and her expanded sociopolitical perspective.

Résumé : L’Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ) a créé en 2011 une spécialisation pour les infirmières en PCI qui doivent maintenant suivre une formation de 2e cycle pour l’obtention de leur titre d’infirmière clinicienne spécialisée en PCI. Au sein de cette formation figure un cours de microbiologie et infectiologie (MI) qui vise à parfaire les connaissances et l’expertise en la matière. Jusqu’à présent, aucune étude n’avait été réalisée pour évaluer l’influence de ce cours sur le savoir infirmier des infirmières en PCI. Cette étude vise à décrire l’évolution du savoir infirmier des infirmières en PCI qui participent au cours de MI du programme de 2e cycle en PCI. Un devis qualitatif descriptif a été utilisé au cours de cette étude pour décrire l’évolution du savoir infirmier. Le modèle de réflexion structurée (MRS) de Johns (1995) a servi à l’élaboration d’entrevues semi-dirigées individuelles avant et après le cours de MI, afin de permettre l’identification du savoir infirmier selon un processus déductif. La méthode de codification de Miles et Huberman (2003) a ensuite favorisé un processus semi-inductif. Une analyse horizontale a finalement permis de repérer les récurrences ou les changements dans le savoir infirmier entre les entrevues de chaque participante ainsi qu’entre les participantes elles-mêmes. Des manifestations des dimensions du savoir infirmier telles que définies par Johns et influencées par Carper (1978) sont décrites, ainsi que l’évolution du savoir infirmier suite à la participation au cours de MI. Les thèmes qui ont découlé des entrevues sont : le développement d’un vocabulaire favorisant la communication dans l’équipe, la capacité d’aller au-delà des protocoles, une meilleure confiance en leurs capacités et l’élargissement d’une vision éthique qui comprend tous les acteurs de la communauté. Les retombées de l’étude se retrouvent au plan de la formation par la mise en valeur de la perspective infirmière dans le cours de MI et par l’évolution du savoir infirmier après avoir suivi ce cours. Sur le plan de la recherche, cette étude présente une nouvelle approche, pour de futures recherches, permettant d’évaluer la contribution d’un cours universitaire.
Abstract : As the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ) has created in 2011 a specialty, making it possible for nurses to develop their expertise in infection prevention and control (IPC). In order to become an IPC clinical nurse specialist, nurses must fulfil a graduate program, which includes a course in microbiology and infectious diseases (MID), among others. Until now, there has been no study evaluating the influence of this training or course on patterns of knowing in nursing for IPC nurses. The goal of this study was to determine the evolution of the patterns of knowing in nursing for IPC nurses who have completed an MID course as part of a graduate program in IPC. A qualitative descriptive evaluation made it possible to determine the evolution of the patterns of knowing. Johns’ model (1995) for structured reflection (MSR) which was used in semi-structured, individual interviews before and after an MID course, helped identify patterns of knowing through a deductive process. Furthermore, Miles and Huberman’s (2003) codification method ensured a semi-inductive process. A horizontal analysis allowed for the detection of recurrence or change in patterns of knowing between each participant’s interviews, as well as between participants. The illustration of the scope of the patterns of knowing in nursing, as defined by Johns and influenced by Carper (1978), as well as the evolution of the patterns of knowing after completing an MID course, were described. The topics that surfaced during the interviews were: the development of a vocabulary fostering team communication, the capacity to go beyond protocols, a greater confidence in their abilities, and the expansion of an ethical view that includes all stakeholders in the community. The benefits of the study are at the level of training and research. Training is represented by the development of nursing perspective in the MID courses and the development of nursing knowledge after completing a course in MID. Finally, towards the research, this has put forward a new approach to assess the contribution of a university course.