The central question and the scope of nursing research

Abstract

As nursing continues to develop as a professional discipline, it is important for nurses to have a central question to guide their research. Since the 1800s, nursing practice and research have covered a wide scope in cooperation with other disciplines. This wide area of nursing practice and research has led to the proposal that the central question be: How can the well‐being of a person, family, community, or population be improved? The proposed question must remain flexible and open to revision because nurses will continue to adapt to the changing needs of their patients and populations and to their complex and evolving work environments.

A Proposed Evaluation of Postgraduate Nursing According to Thomas Kuhn

“…It may become exhausted and no longer answer the questions arising from professional pragmatics and, thus, start the process of destructuing. 3,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15] Regarding the disciplinary matrix, it is known that it is constituted by theoretical and methodological assumptions with the purpose of establishing procedural norms from the observance of laws and principles that guide the researchers; It has a scientific agenda that indicates the problems to be studied by the research community and provides standardized solutions for a given science. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The disciplinary matrix also contains axiological elements, i.e., it has epistemic values of accuracy, consistency, range, fecundity and simplicity.…”

“…3,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15] Regarding the disciplinary matrix, it is known that it is constituted by theoretical and methodological assumptions with the purpose of establishing procedural norms from the observance of laws and principles that guide the researchers; It has a scientific agenda that indicates the problems to be studied by the research community and provides standardized solutions for a given science. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The disciplinary matrix also contains axiological elements, i.e., it has epistemic values of accuracy, consistency, range, fecundity and simplicity. In order to clarify any doubts, it is necessary to point out the Kuhnian significance of these values, as they are non-cognitive elements and influence the decision of the scientist.…”

“…It is worth mentioning, however, that it will be up to the researchers to identify and establish the epistemic values that they deem appropriate in order to compose their disciplinary matrix, extracting them from the dissertations and theses of PPGENF. 2,3,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In the present essay, the epistemological approach of the so-called mature sciences was proposed and, therefore, it is considered, by way of illustration, to consider the application of their epistemic values by the scientific nursing discipline. Therefore, PPGENF researchers, when scrutinizing nursing dissertations and theses, should contemplate the epistemic values of accuracy, consistency, scope, simplicity and fecundity.…”

Can the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme check‐lists be used alongside Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to improve transparency and decision‐making?

“…It is argued by some that for nursing to be considered a profession, it must pose a unique perspective and have an identifiable and distinct body of knowledge that is researched, developed, and advanced as it is passed on through the members of the nursing profession (Moulton, Wilson, Camargo Plazas, & Halverson, ). However, the development of such a body of knowledge in a discipline such as nursing which uses evidence from a wide variety of other professions such as medicine, psychology, and sociology is not straightforward; and it may not be the knowledge that is unique, but rather the perspective with which that knowledge is applied (Mckenna, ).…”

“…It has recently been suggested that the fundamental question for nursing research should be around how the well‐being of people, families, communities, or populations can be improved? (Moulton et al, ). The development of nursing research and the use of evidence by nurses to improve patient outcomes are thought by many to have started with Florence Nightingale in the 1850s and over time the nature and focus of nursing research has changed.…”