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Deconstructing nursing's paradoxical relationship with the concept of complexity
1Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Summary
Nursing complexity is often misunderstood. This study proposes an extended conceptualization, viewing nurses as agents who mobilize complexity through paradox and contradiction, fostering an adaptive
Area of Science:
- Nursing Science
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- Nursing practice is widely considered complex, yet this complexity is poorly defined and often devalued in literature.
- Existing conceptualizations of nursing complexity often adopt a narrow interpretation from complexity theory, treating it as a complex intervention.
- This reductionist approach risks oversimplifying nursing's intricate nature and overlooks its inherent qualities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the prevailing understanding of complexity in nursing.
- To propose an extended conceptualization of nursing complexity grounded in Western philosophical traditions.
- To advocate for a view where nurses actively engage with and mobilize complexity rather than reduce it.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of complexity within the Western tradition.
- Deconstruction of the 'complex intervention' model as applied to nursing.
- Development of an alternative conceptual framework for nursing complexity.
Main Results:
- Adopting complexity as a 'complex intervention' epistemologically and ontologically constrains nursing.
- Nurses possess the capacity to embrace, rather than reduce, complexity.
- Nurses develop unique logics to productively mobilize complexity, navigating paradox and contradiction.
Conclusions:
- An extended epistemology for nursing complexity is proposed, characterized by a 'yes/and' mindset.
- This mindset reflects the dynamic and generative relationships between diverse forms of knowledge essential to nursing.
- Reconceptualizing nursing complexity empowers nurses to harness its inherent dynamism.
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