Theory for nursing practice

This article chronicles the development of nursing theory and research over the past 30 years as it parallels the author's own development as a theorist-researcher. Dorothy Johnson and Martha Rogers are considered the contemporary forerunners of a shift from an emphasis on medical knowledge to an emphasis on distinctly nursing knowledge. The paradigm shift Rogers called for was largely misunderstood at the time of its inception, resulting in attempts to force holistic thinking into reductionistic methods of research. The epistemology of nursing research lagged behind the ontology of the discipline. Moreover, the absence of an agreed-upon focus of the discipline created a void in the development of theory specific to nursing practice. The author asserts that the focus and paradigm of the discipline of nursing are now clear. The core, purpose, and societal commitment of nursing as a practice discipline are captured in the phrase, caring in the human health experience. Research methods that reflect a unitary, transformative paradigm make it possible to develop theory that structures practice.