Chapter 2 Sources of Nursing Knowledge

1. Chapter 2Sources of Nursing Knowledge © Nursing Research: An Introduction by Pam Moule and Margaret Goodman (2009, SAGE)

2. Learning outcomes • To develop an understanding of some of the different sources of knowledge that inform nursing. • To consider how they are used in nursing practice.

3. Sources of knowledge • Scientific • Tradition • Intuition and tacit • Personal knowledge

4. Scientific knowledge (1) • Measurement and testing of knowledge • Systematic and methodological • Inductive approaches • Deductive approaches

5. Scientific Knowledge (2) • Qualitative methods • Quantitative methods • Mixed methods

6. Tradition (1) • Knowledge passed down through generations of nurses. • Can be conveyed through observed practice, role modelling, written documents, books, journal articles, and often from ‘experienced’ practitioners.

7. Tradition (2) • Traditional practices can be imposed: ‘This is the way it should be done because this is the way it has always been done.’ • Can lead to the development of a nursing culture that accepts practices as being right, without questioning their foundation and evidence base.

8. Intuition and tacit knowledge • Drawing on experience and knowledge to make a care judgment. • Developed through experience gained by engagement in practice. • Can be criticised for a lack of objectivity and ability to identify a rationale behind decisions.

9. Personal knowledge • Personal knowledge is individual knowledge shaped through being personally involved in situations and events in practice. • Personal knowledge can be developed through reflecting on practice experiences. • Personal knowledge can reflect a range of experiences and be based on a number of sources of knowledge.