Contemporary Nursing Knowledge : Analysis and Evaluation of Nursing Models and Theories

Abstract

As we continue to be challenged by the organization and financing of the contemporary health care system, as well as a worldwide nursing shortage, the need to articulate what nursing is and can be has never been more critical. Conceptual models of nursing and nursing theories provide clear answers to questions about what nursing is, what nursing can be, and how what nursing is and can be influences what nurses do—or should do. Conceptual models of nursing and nursing theories also provide: • Answers for nurse educators, who continue to seek better ways to prepare students for current and future trends in health services. • Answers for nurse researchers, who continue to seek ways to identify the phenomena of central interest to nursing and to design studies that reflect nursing’s distinctive perspective of people in matters of health. • Answers for nurse administrators, who continue to seek ways to organize the delivery of nursing services in an efficient and effective manner and to document the quality of nursing practice. • Answers for practicing nurses, who continue to seek ways to improve the quality of people’s lives. This edition of the book is the culmination of years of thinking, talking, and writing about the structure and nature of contemporary nursing knowledge. It was written for all nurses and nursing students who are interested in the development of nursing knowledge and the use of that knowledge to guide nursing research, education, administration, and practice. Although some reviewers have indicated that the book is most appropriate for graduate students, others, with whom I agree, insist that the book also is a valuable resource for undergraduates.