Due to nursing’s involvement in examining phenomena within a contextual health care framework, phenomenology is not only conducive to the discovery of information but also the development of nursing knowledge essential to the profession.

The phenomenological approach is increasingly being utilized as the method for nursing research studies because it is comprised of data collection tools such as open-ended questions and observational cues appropriate for nursing research practices and methodologies. Phenomenology is also quite useful to qualitative nurse researchers because it can be an effective vehicle for illuminating and clarifying fundamental issues in the health care sector.

Because the science of nursing is concerned with treating individuals holistically, many nurses recognize the significance of individuals’ experiences and support them in exercising control over their health and well-being. Based on this understanding, phenomenology plays a pivotal role in the nursing profession because it values not only the individual’s experience but also the principles and modalities of their holistic healing into daily life and clinical practice.

Current and Postmodern Influence on Nursing

The current and postmodern philosophical schools of thought play an integral role in the nursing profession because of its contribution to the creation and development of nursing science and theory.

Some of the ways these philosophies helped contribute to the nursing profession were through the promotion and utilization of multiple methods for the development of scientific understanding and incorporation of different techniques to improve overall understanding of humanistic idiosyncrasies.

By developing and applying the discipline-specific knowledge that was required, different philosophical theories and perspectives were able to aid in recognizing the relationships of human responses to health issues while addressing the biological, behavioral, and cultural domains of nursing science simultaneously.

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Based on this reality, modernism and postmodernism not only dislodged the authority of a single research paradigm in nursing science but also emphasized the meaning of integration of qualitative and quantitative research into a holistic and dynamic model to improve nursing practice in the clinical setting.

Why Phenomenology is Imperative in Nursing

Due to the nature of its theoretical teachings, phenomenology has become an important philosophical worldview in the nursing profession. Phenomenology not only requires nursing researchers to understand it as a philosophy but also as a phenomenon tied to human consciousness in the form of lived experiences. This realization illustrates the significance of phenomenology as a fundamental field of inquiry in the nursing profession and the scientific community at large.

Therefore, by having a deeper understanding of phenomenological philosophy, nurses are not only able to make important clinical decisions but also innovative and progressive approaches vital to improving patient care processes in the clinical health care sector and beyond.

Jonathan V. Llamas, DNP, RN-BC, PMHNP-BC, PHN
Latest posts by Jonathan V. Llamas, DNP, RN-BC, PMHNP-BC, PHN (see all)
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