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Maintaining patient hopefulness: a critique
1University of the West of England, Gloucester, UK. martin.lipscomb@uwe.ac.uk
Nursing Inquiry
|November 22, 2007
Summary
Maintaining patient hope is often seen as a nursing duty, but this study argues hope is too complex and lacks scientific grounding for healthcare. Nurses should be cautious about claims regarding patient hopefulness.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Philosophy of Medicine
- Healthcare Ethics
Background:
- Patient hope is frequently presented as a core nursing responsibility.
- Existing literature often frames hope maintenance as an uncomplicated positive aspect of care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the concept of patient hope within nursing and healthcare.
- To question the feasibility and scientific validity of hope as a central nursing duty.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the term 'hope' in nursing literature.
- Examination of the relationship between hope, teleological assumptions, and evidence-based practice.
- Critique of hope's compatibility with scientific decision-making in healthcare.
Main Results:
- The concept of hope is variably interpreted, lacking a stable definition.
- Hope is often intertwined with teleological assumptions, conflicting with scientific evidence-based healthcare.
- Hope cannot be integrated into a sustainable scientific theory for nursing practice.
Conclusions:
- The claims made for patient hope in nursing are currently unsustainable.
- Nurses are advised to approach extravagant claims about hope with caution.
- Rethinking the role of hope in nursing is necessary for scientific integrity.
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