Critique: external comparison of conceptual nursing models

Research by Jacobson on development of a semantic differential for external comparison of conceptual nursing models was reported in 1984. The present article critiques the philosophical stance and the research methods presented in the Jacobson report. Methods of analysis and evaluation of conceptual nursing models are reviewed, and the influences of conceptual nursing models on the structure of the discipline are examined in light of the purposes of the Jacobson study. Issues related to the investigation and use of models in the development of nursing knowledge are discussed.