Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

Questions and Answers

What are hypotheses?

Tentative suggestions that a specific relationship exists between two concepts.

What is the definition of knowledge?

Awareness of reality acquired through insight, learning or investigation.

What do laws in a theory represent?

Propositions about the relationship between concepts in a theory that has been repeatedly validated.

What is a theory?

A supposition or system of ideas proposed to explain a given phenomenon. Signup and view all the answers

What is a metaparadigm in nursing?

It represents the worldview of a discipline, consisting of the concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing. Signup and view all the answers

Define paradigm.

An organizing framework that contains concepts, theories, assumptions, beliefs, values and principles that form the way a discipline interprets its subject matter. Signup and view all the answers

What are assumptions?

Statements supposed to be true without proof or demonstration. Signup and view all the answers

What does epistemology refer to?

Theories of knowledge or how people come to have knowledge. Signup and view all the answers

Which period is characterized by nursing as instinctive and considered 'untaught'?

Period of Intuitive Nursing Signup and view all the answers

Who is known as the founder of modern nursing?

Florence Nightingale Signup and view all the answers

What influenced the development of nursing during the Nightingale Era?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Hypotheses and Knowledge

Hypotheses suggest a specific relationship exists between two concepts.
Knowledge is derived from awareness of reality through insight, learning, or investigation.

Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

Laws are validated propositions about relationships between concepts within a theory.
A theory is a system of ideas that explains phenomena and relationships between concepts.
Theoretical frameworks offer ways to conceptualize the central interests of a discipline.

Key Concepts

Concepts are abstract ideas representing phenomena or reality, serving as building blocks for theories (e.g., mass, energy).
Metaparadigm represents the worldview of a discipline, particularly nursing, which includes person, environment, health, and nursing.
A paradigm is an organizing framework of concepts, theories, beliefs, and assumptions that shape understanding within a discipline.

Assumptions and Epistemology

Assumptions are statements accepted as true without proof.
Epistemology refers to theories about knowledge acquisition.

Historical Evolution of Nursing

Intuitive Nursing/Medieval Period: Nursing was instinctive, seen as a function of women without formal training. Illness was attributed to evil spirits.
Apprentice Nursing/Middle Ages: Development under religious orders. Care was provided by experienced nurses without formal education.
Educated Nursing/Nightingale Era (19th-20th Century): Florence Nightingale advanced nursing as a profession, focusing on educated women. Influences included war trends and social consciousness, alongside increased educational opportunities for women.
Contemporary Nursing/20th Century: Marked by the establishment of formal nursing education and a shift towards professional standards.

Significant Figures and Events

Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing, establishing the first nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Description

Explore the theoretical underpinnings of nursing through this quiz, which covers key concepts such as hypotheses, knowledge, and the metaparadigm. Engage with the framework that organizes the discipline and understand how these concepts interact within nursing theory.