Five Different Types of Knowledge That I Nurse Can Use to Care for Pati

The nurse, Allison, in the case study used a wide variety of knowledge in order to best care for her patients in a holistic approach. In this section, five different types of knowledge will be discussed and explained how Allison used each type to nurse her patients. Carper, Van der Zalm, Bergum and Wolfer described empirical knowledge as â€Å"the knowledge we consider to be â€Å"fact,† such as what we read in textbooks, or what has been demonstrated through research† (as cited in Bungay, 2005). Allison consistently applied empirical knowledge throughout the beginning of her shift. A few examples of when empirical knowledge was applied in her nursing included listening to report and gathering all the information on the patients in order to determine her priorities of care. Explaining the benefits of a nicotine patch to Mr. Nelson as well as when she determined Mr. Nelsons oxygen supply and demand was adequate due to her assessment of the cardiac monitors, his work of breath and by observing the colour of his skin. Another type of knowledge that Allison used in her patient care was ethical knowledge. Van der Zalm and Bergum determined that â€Å"ethical knowledge represents knowledge that supports us to choose and be responsible for the right action in a situation† (as cited in Bungay, 2005). An examples of when Allison used ethical knowledge in her care was when she made the ethical decision on which patient she should visit first, that being Mrs. Johnson. This is an example of ethical knowledge because since Mrs. Johnson was the newest admit, and had had a cardioversion forty-five minutes prior, she was the most unstable patient of Allison’s. Had Allison made the choice to assess her other patient’s first it would have not been the re... ...to her about how they were feeling regarding their hospitalization. Finally, the effects of the immediate environment play a role in the interactions between a nurse and then patient. Being in the hospital, there are many foreign sounds such as call bell and codes going on all the time. Although Allison may have use to the loud noises on the ward, for the patients, this is new to them. This could have played a factor in Mr. Nelson’s inability to sleep, which altered his mood. Being in a new environment, especially a hospital can be unnerving for patients taking them out of their comfort zones. References Bungay, V. (2005). Module 1 High Acuity Nursing Practice [PDF document]. J.L. Dehaan, 2012, (Ed.). British Columbia Institute of Technology, School of Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://learn.bcit.ca/d2l/le/content/188743/viewContent/1059245/View