Innovative imagery: a health patterning modality for nursing practice

The purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenon of intuition in nursing culture. The aims of the study were to (a) identify and describe terminology used with intuition in nursing care practice, (b) describe examples of experiential knowledge of intuition, (c) describe actions taken on intuitive experiences, (d) describe feelings associated with intuitive experience, and (e) compare and contrast patterns and processes of nursing intuition. The design of the study was ethnography. Sampling involved 40 nurses from all levels of the hospital and home health care practice. Intuition was found to (a) facilitate the depth of nurse-client relationships; (b) lead to a deeper understanding and connection with client patterns; (c) be acknowledged as a professional risk; (d) emphasize the significant influence of autonomy, independence, and assertiveness in nursing practice; and (e) contribute to excellence in nursing care. Intuition was identified as a manifestation of transpersonal caring in the art of nursing practice and was deeply connected to caring as the moral ideal of the nursing profession.