The value to nursing research of Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness in nursing research of the importance of accumulation of knowledge related particularly to the art of nursing. Because of this, nurses are endeavouring to understand more comprehensively the meanings given to central phenomena such as caring, comfort and reassurance, and also to research them with methodologies in such a way that these meanings are not destroyed, distorted or decontextualized. Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy may prove to be a valuable approach in enabling nurses to gain a deeper and fuller understanding of these phenomena which are central to nursing practice.