Abstract
Professional nurses must possess the knowledge and resources that are required to perform their roles and responsibilities in a successful manner. Patterns of knowing must be addressed and supported by different forms of knowledge that include scientific-based information and practical experiences that are associated with direct and daily involvement with patients. These patterns must address the importance of broad nursing-based knowledge across different areas so that patient care is optimized to incorporate empirical data, evidence-based practice, ethical frameworks, and personal experiences that will have an impact on patient outcomes. These factors demonstrate the importance of recognizing and embracing knowledge that is acquired through different means that require nurses to balance scientific facts with emotions and personal characteristics. As a result, nurses experience a continuous learning curve that will have a significant impact on their actions, decision-making, and their ability to be proactive and flexible in order to meet the needs of their patients.
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"Ways of Knowing: The Importance of Teamwork in Nursing".
Ways of Knowing: The Importance of Teamwork in Nursing
Knowing in nursing practice reflects the importance of establishing patterns of knowledge acquisition and its implementation into the practice environment, and as noted by Carper (1978, p. 13), supports empirical, ethical, personal, and esthetic characteristics. From an empirical perspective, factual knowledge is acquired and may be proven by scientific principles, while ethical knowing is derived from moral beliefs and core values that impact decision-making (Carper, 1978, p. 14). Personal knowing is supported by an empathetic perspective regarding the needs of the patient, and esthetic knowing is derived in the moment and identifies the direct impact on a patient’s individual experiences (Carper, 1978, p. 14). Each of these patterns reflects a different approach to nursing practice, all of which contribute to the success of nursing in unique ways, while also considering the impact of nurses on the development of knowledge-based experiences and facts that will have a significant impact on patient care outcomes (Carper, 1978, p. 14). From Carper’s perspective, knowing in nursing is critical to nursing practice because it emphasizes how nurses must adapt to different situations and circumstances that will influence patients and decision-making in a positive manner.
Empirics
The empirical approach to knowing acknowledges that scientific reasoning encompasses a primary basis for nursing practice, while at the same time, considering that there is also an artistic component to nursing that is based upon the concepts of product, process, and medium (Peplau, 1988, p. 8). Under these conditions, it is likely that there will be significant opportunities for nurses to exercise both avenues in their work with patients and at a professional level in order to achieve desirable outcomes (Peplau, 1988, p. 8). It is also under these circumstances that nurses may utilize scientific reasoning and facts to expand knowledge, while also using creative means to improve the emotional context of nursing in an empathetic manner (Peplau, 1988, p. 8). In other words, nurses must balance factual knowledge and information with emotions and empathy towards the greater good of the nursing profession. There must be a greater emphasis on understanding how to utilize patterns of knowing in a manner that is consistent and continuous with the mission and vision of nursing practice as a means of healing, recovery, and wellbeing.
One of the critical issues regarding knowing requires nurses to adapt to the evolution of evidence-based practice, using empirical knowledge in a manner that is consistent with the scientific evidence that is derived (Porter, 2010, p. 3). In a modern context, the relationship between empirical knowledge and evidence-based practice continues to emerge, particularly as evidence derived from a variety of methods, such as the randomized controlled trial, are observed (Porter, 2010, p. 4). Under these conditions, evidence which can be proven through this method should become the preferred method of nurses moving forward; as a result, there is an increased emphasis on evidence-based data that supports the growth of knowledge within nursing practice (Porter, 2010, p. 4). This offers a complex view of nursing knowledge and its evolution towards evidence-based approaches, which offer a modern and unique approach to patient care with the intent to achieve favorable outcomes (Porter, 2010, p. 4).
Esthetics
Patterns of knowing in nursing practice also reflect a need to further examine the role of leadership within the profession, particularly in areas which are not well-defined or well-understood (Jackson, Clements, Averill, & Zimbro, 2009, p. 149). It is believed that although nursing practice is largely based upon empirical knowledge and an ever-increasing foray into evidence-based data and information, and is of critical importance in understanding the roles and expectations of nurse leaders (Jackson et.al, 2009, p. 151). In essence, these patterns must be sufficiently balanced in order for leaders to embrace their roles and to set an example for others to follow in exhibiting care and concern for all patients (Jackson et.al, 2009, p. 152). This is a complex set of circumstances that once satisfied, will enable nurse leaders to reach their full potential and to make a difference not only in the lives of patients, but also in the lives of their fellow nurses. While nurses must understand the scientific underpinnings of nursing practice, they must also embrace the emotions, care, and concern that is required to successfully treat patients (Jackson et.al, 2009, p.152).
Personal Knowledge
Nurses must identify with their patients and develop an understanding not only of the surrounding environment in which they work, but also the needs of their patients in order to establish relationships that will achieve greater meaning and value to both sides (Zolnierek, 2014, p. 3). This personal knowledge is essential to the discovery of characteristics that will influence relationship building with patients and to facilitate patient-centered approaches to care, obtaining information that will translate into the appropriate procedures, and to recognize that consistent and appropriate patient contact will have an impact on patient outcomes (Zolnierek, 2014, p. 6). With this approach, it is necessary for nurses to acknowledge that they must expand their patterns of knowing and adapt to these patterns accordingly so that patient care is optimized and positive and meaningful results are achieved (Zolnierek, 2014, p. 6).
Patterns of knowing are of critical importance to the nursing profession because nurses must engage in fact-finding using empirical evidence, along with their understanding of how to communicate and develop relationships with patients based upon caring and improving quality of life. Nurses must establish a balance between these patterns of knowing and apply them to patient care in ways that will not only be productive, but which will also demonstrate their understanding of care-based needs and their concern for patients. This offers a unique opportunity for nurses to be effective and meaningful contributors to nursing practice and to acknowledge that they must use factual and empirical-based knowledge in conjunction with empathy and caring, particularly as they increase their levels of experience. These characteristics may not appear to be aligned on paper, but they reflect a unique approach to nursing practice that is based upon continuous improvement and the evolution of nurses in their professional development and growth. These patterns of knowing are likely to encourage nurses at all levels to share their knowledge with others and to provide insight regarding the practical and clinical needs of the patient population on a regular basis.
Ethics
Within the practice setting, ethical frameworks are critical to the nursing profession because they determine the understanding between right and wrong. These attributes demonstrate the importance of shaping a solid and practical foundation for nursing practice that is grounded in good judgment and a responsibility to patients to do what is best for them. Patient experiences evolve because compassion and support are essential to optimizing the quality of life of patients through a nurse’s duty to act in an ethically responsible manner.
Knowing involves many characteristics that influence nursing practice; therefore, communicating the needs and expectations of the profession require nurses to use empirical knowledge effectively, to support the esthetics of emotion and compassion in nursing, to recognize that personal characteristics may bridge the gap towards building relationships with patients, and to acknowledge the ethical responsibility of nurses to make decisions that are in the best interests of their patients and to determine the best possible means of acquiring knowledge that will serve patients in a successful manner.
- Carper, B.A. (1978). Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 1(1), 13-23.
- Jackson, J. P., Clements, P. T., Averill, J. B., & Zimbro, K. (2009). Patterns of knowing:
proposing a theory for nursing leadership. Nursing Economics, 27(3), 149.
- Peplau, H.E. (1988). The art and science of nursing: Similarities, differences, and relations.
Nursing Science Quarterly, 1(1), 8-15. - Porter, S. (2010). Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing: The Challenge of
Evidence‐Based Practice. Advances in Nursing Science, 33(1), 3-14.
- Zolnierek, C. D. (2014). An integrative review of knowing the patient. Journal of nursing
scholarship, 46(1), 3-10.
