Interdisciplinarity and nursing research: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Interdisciplinary collaboration is widely recognized and considered essential for optimizing the development of knowledge and practice. However, interdisciplinarity is commonly accepted as an unquestioned good; rarely examined as both a source of benefit as well as difficulty for nursing and other disciplines. The aim of this article is to critically examine the opportunities and challenges that interdisciplinarity can provide for research in nursing and other disciplines. Based on a North American perspective, I describe the emergence of uni-disciplinary nursing research and the knowledge exchanges that occurred between nursing and other disciplines. I discuss the rise of interdisciplinary research, outline several examples of nursing participation in interdisciplinarity, and highlight the prominent benefits and difficulties associated with interdisciplinary research. I argue that authentic collaboration is required to conduct meaningful interdisciplinary research and describe how this can be promoted. Key words: Interdisciplinary; Nursing; Research; Collaboration. RESUMOColaboração interdisciplinar é amplamente reconhecida e considerada essencial para a otimização do desenvolvimento do conhecimento e prática. No entanto, a interdisciplinaridade é comumente aceita como um bem inquestionável, raramente examinado tanto como uma fonte de benefícios, bem como dificuldade para a enfermagem e outras disciplinas. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar criticamente as oportunidades e desafios que a interdisciplinaridade pode oferecer para a pesquisa em enfermagem e outras disciplinas. Com base em uma perspectiva norte-americana, descreve-se o surgimento de pesquisas em enfermagem unidisciplinar e as trocas de conhecimento que ocorreram entre a enfermagem e outras disciplinas. Discute-se a ascensão da pesquisa interdisciplinar, delineiam-se vários exemplos de participação da enfermagem na interdisciplinaridade, e destacam-se os benefícios proeminentes e dificuldades associadas com a pesquisa interdisciplinar. Defende-se que a colaboração autêntica é necessária para conduzir a pesquisa interdisciplinar significativa e descreve-se como isso pode ser promovido. Descritores: Interdisciplinaridade; Enfermagem; Investigação; Colaboração. RESUMENLa colaboración interdisciplinaria es ampliamente reconocida y considerada esencial para optimizar el desarrollo del conocimiento y la práctica. Sin embargo, la interdisciplinariedad es comúnmente aceptada como un bien incuestionable; rara vez examinada tanto como una fuente de beneficio, así como de dificultad para la enfermería y otras disciplinas. El objetivo de este artículo es examinar críticamente las oportunidades y desafíos que la interdisciplinariedad puede proporcionar para la investigación en enfermería y otras disciplinas. Sobre la base de una perspectiva norteamericana, describe-se el surgimiento de la investigación en enfermería unidisciplinaria y los intercambios de conocimientos que se produjeron entre la enfermería y otras disciplinas. Se discute el aumento de la i...

The integrality care in patients with chronic pain: a reflection about using of the coping

“…8,9 Thus, the use of coping skills training should be approached by a multiprofessional team and worked using the interdisciplinarity. 8,14 This way forms a holistic perspective for therapeutics (for contributing to reduction of pain intensity) and rehabilitation of the person with pain (emotional, functional and social rehabilitation).…”

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Interdisciplinarity of research in nursing: the crossing of health, biomedical and social sciences

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“…There has been some debate about the terms interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and their adequate use [7] as they should be used for different meanings. Interdisciplinarity is largely recognized as the most favored term for explaining concepts of different professions in health care sector, as it conveys an orientation toward knowledge integration rather than sharing or exchanging [5].…”

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“…The current focus on interprofessional and interdisciplinary interaction is a natural evolution of Boyer's views on the scholarship of integration. Interdisciplinarity and interprofessionization are current priorities in higher education, and are "…widely recognized and …considered essential for optimizing the level of knowledge and practice" (Carevale, 2014). Such collaborative interaction more effectively addresses the significant complexity of problems than is possible from the perspective of one discipline alone (National Academy of Sciences, 2000; Rhoten & Parker, 2004;Salter & Hearn, 1996).…”