Nursing Knowledge (PDF)

Nurses who conduct research have a longstanding interest in
questions of nursing knowledge. Nursing Knowledge is a clear
and well-informed exposition of the philosophical background to
nursing theory and research. Nursing Knowledge
answers such fundamental questions as: How is nursing theory
related to nursing practice? What are the core elements of
nursing knowledge? What makes nursing research distinctive as
nursing research? It examines the history of the
philosophical debates within nursing, critiques the arguments,
explains the implications and sets out to rethink the philosophical
foundation of nursing science.

Nursing Knowledge begins with philosophical problems that
arise within nursing science. It then considers various
solutions with the help of philosophical ideas arguingargues that
nurses ought to adopt certain philosophical positions because they
are the best solutions to the problems that nurses encounter. The
book argues claims that the nursing standpoint has the potential to
disclose a more complete understanding of human health than the
common disease-and-dysfunction views. Because of the relationship
to practice, nursing science may freely draw theory from other
disciplines and nursing practice unifies nursing research. By
redefining theory and philosophy,With a new philosophical
perspective on nursing science, the so-called relevance gap between
nursing theory and practice can be closed.

The final chapter of the book 'redraws the map', to
create a new picture of nursing science based on the following
principles:

* Problems of practice should guide nursing research

* Practice and theory are dynamically related

* Theory research must provide the knowledge base necessary for
nurse interventions, training, patient education, etc.

* Nursing research should develop midrange theories and its
results are nursing theory is strengthened when it uses theories
confirmed by is integrated with other disciplines

Key features

* Clear and accessibly written

* Accurate and philosophically well-informed,

* Discusses philosophical problems in contexts familiar to
nurses

* Systematically examines the philosophical issues involved in
nursing research

* Examines epistemology (how we know what we know), theory
development, and the philosophical foundations of scientific
methodology.

* Develops a new model of nursing knowledge

Dr. Mark Risjord is Associate Professor in Philosophy at
Emory University, and has a faculty appointment in the Nell Hodgson
Woodruff School of Nursing. His main research areas have been in
the philosophy of social science and the philosophy of
medicine. He was invited to has been teaching philosophy of
science and theory development in the new PhD program in the Nell
Hodgson School of Nursing at Emory University insince 1999.
He has been awarded two competitive teaching prizes: Emory Williams
Distinguished Teaching Award (2004) and the Excellence in Teaching
Award (1997). He is presently serving as the Masse-Martin/NEH
Distinguished Teaching Chair (2006-2010).