Fundamental Patterns Of Knowing In Nursing Summary

Carper’s “Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing” categorizes the foundations upon which nursing knowledge is built. It involves four patterns that are essential to the understanding of the field of nursing: empirics, esthetics, personal knowledge, and ethics. Understanding and embracing each pattern is key to full comprehension, whether in learning to practice or teaching the practice. Although written in 1978, Carper’s theory is just as relevant in today’s world of nursing. The empirical knowledge that Carper describes is what is known in today’s nursing as evidence-based practice (EBP) and has been exercised since the nineteenth century, when Florence Nightingale began detailing nursing statistics. EPB means using reliable texts based on the latest research and evidence as the basis for decision-making in practice. Carper also describes this process as “knowledge that is systematically organized into general laws and theories” which is used to explain and calculate expected outcomes.
However, “nursing science” is now a complex collection of data devised into those laws and theories which were once lacking. When searching for the best practice or information surrounding an intervention, nurses can utilize the organized system of nursing knowledge, categorized by philosophy, model, and theories, whether grand or middle-range; these are also further categorized by areas in the field, such as pediatrics and critical care. As the components of this system of knowledge are continually tested in practice, the discipline of nursing grows and strengthens as a mature