Nursing Dissertation to strengthen the Scientific Foundation

Nursing to strengthen the Scientific Foundation - Dissertation Example 4.2.1 Applications of Complexity Theory to Health Care Delivery 76 4.2.2 Advantages of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 77 4.2.3 Significance of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 79 4.2.4 Implications of Complexity Theory Conceptualization of Nursing Best Practice 79 4.3 Complexity Science as the Guiding Framework 81 4.4 Descriptive Overview of Conceptual Model of Nursing Best Practice 82 4.5 Proposed Definition of Key Concepts 82 4.6 Summary 88 Chapter V: Conclusion 89 5.1 Introduction 89 5.2 Findings of the Study 89 5.3 Implications for Nursing 92 5.4 Conclusion 92 Chapter I: Introduction to the Study 1.1 Introduction This introductory chapter provides a description of the research problem, as well as the rationale, purpose, framework, and the research questions that guided the study. 1.2 The Problem One of the goals of the discipline of nursing is to increase and strengthen the scientific foundation upon which to base clinical practice. The use of research evidence in practice is an accepted way to achieve this goal and in turn can improve nursing care, optimise patient outcomes, and decrease costs (Higgs, Bum, & Jones, 2001; Titler et al., 1994). However, while the requirement to remain current in knowledge and deliver efficient quality patient care has led to an enthusiastic interest in using research evidence in nursing, as a strategy for the fortification of the basis of the science of nursing, little is known about how evidence is actually translated into nursing practice. One strategy that has been suggested for increasing awareness and the use of evidence in nursing practice is revising and updating organisational policy and procedure manuals based on the... The results of this inquiry provide a new theoretical foundation for nursing practice that is qualitatively different from medicine. This research explains how nurses in practice help patients make transitions and move toward future possibilities by merging the art of nursing with the science of nursing. It further makes visible the experience of nurses and reflects on and claims this work as an essential part of professional practice. The study has the potential to challenge the assumptions that underlie nursing's approach to practice, education, theory and research in its challenge to the dominance of scientific over artistic approaches in the practice of nursing. In particular, this work challenges the analytical, problem focused basis of the nursing process and suggests instead that nurses promote transitions in a process akin to narrative structure in the way that assumes standpoints, makes interpretive leaps, brings events to a climax and recognizes closure. In conclusion, science has approached a better understanding of the universe by reducing phenomena into manageable component parts, and the hallmark of research rigor has been the degree to which confounding influences are isolated or controlled. Management strategies have been focused on finding the best way to achieve desirable performance and then exerting control over process and structure in order to maintain the desired organizational or system performance level. The conceptualization of nursing best practice as an emergent property of a complex adaptive healthcare system.