The American Nurses' Association's position statement on nursing and social policy: philosophical and ethical dimensions

An exploration of language: How nurses describe social factors that contribute to health

BACKGROUND

Over the last two centuries nurses have been practicing, teaching, and conducting research on social factors that contribute to health and the language has evolved over this time.

PURPOSE

To explore how social factors that contribute to health are described by nurse authors and how that use has changed over time.

METHODS

A scoping review using the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, Cochrane Handbook, and PRISMA guidelines was completed.

FINDINGS

From 1967 to 2021, nurses used the term "social factors" most commonly and there was a shift from demographic to social factors.

DISCUSSION

As the language that nurses use has shifted from demographic descriptions to the social factors that may be associated with those descriptions, nurses have an opportunity to promote the use of non-deterministic language for health promotion and research.

Policy Advocacy and Nursing Organizations: A Scoping Review

Policy advocacy is a fundamental component of nursing's social mandate. While it has become a core function of nursing organizations across the globe, the discourse around advocacy has focused largely on the responsibilities and accountabilities of individual nurses, with little attention to the policy advocacy work undertaken by nursing organizations. To strengthen this critical function, an understanding of the extant literature is needed to identify areas that require further research. We conducted a scoping review to examine the nature, extent, and range of scholarly work focused on nursing organizations and policy advocacy. A systematic search of six databases produced 4,731 papers and 68 were included for analysis and synthesis. Findings suggest that the literature has been increasing over the years, is largely non-empirical, and covers a broad range of topics ranging from the role and purpose of nursing organizations in policy advocacy, the identity of nursing organizations, the development and process of policy advocacy initiatives, the policy advocacy products of nursing organizations, and the impact and evaluation of organizations’ policy advocacy work. Based on the review, we identify several research gaps and propose areas for further research to strengthen the influence and impact of this critical function undertaken by nursing organizations.

A Concept Analysis of Respect Applying the Hybrid Model in Cross-Cultural Settings

Respect was analyzed as a concept in the domain of nursing action using the hybrid model of concept development. Field research methods provided empirical descriptions of respect in two different cross-cultural settings. Participant observations were conducted in an outpatient clinic ofa large U.S. hospitalproviding services toa multicultural clientpopulation, and key informant interviews were undertaken in a Canadian First Nations community. Data analysis proceeded according to a variation of Schatzman and Strauss 's notation system. Findings from analyses of field data revealed patterns of interaction indicative of respect and lack of respect. By synthe-sizing theoretical and empirical findings, key indicators, potential operational indicators, and a conceptual definition of respect were developed. Thefindings provide preliminary descriptions of respect that lay the foundation for future analyses and applications in nursing.

Contribution of Ayurveda in foundation of basic tenets of bioethics

Ethics deal with the set of principles of right conduct. The four basic principles of bioethics - autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice are known as “principlism". Though these four principles are influenced by the western world; in the medical field they are adapted as universal ethics. Originally, Ayurveda, the Indian medical system, has strongly advocated ethical code of conduct for physicians, but does not get its due recognition till this date. Proposed article aims to compare universally accepted basic tenets of bioethics and ancient Ayurvedic ethics. For this purpose classical texts of Ayurveda and literature regarding principlism was collected and analyzed thoroughly. It was found that the essence of ethics is very well-defined and described in the fundamental texts of Ayurveda in the form of Sadvritta, Chatushpada, Yogya, Vaidyavritti and Aachara Rasayana. Hence, Ayurveda should be considered as a trailblazer in establishing the basic tenets of bioethics.

Values and evaluation in health care

The purpose of this paper is to broaden the view of evaluation in health care by 'problemizing' the concepts of quality and evaluation and relating them to a more general discussion of values. The discussion of the concept of quality shows that the concept of quality is often vague or contradictory and that the relationship between quality and costs is problematic. The discussion is broadened by studying quality and evaluation from the viewpoint of four categories of values: scientific values, aesthetic values, ethical values and economic values. The authors also show that values, in addition to constituting the basis for evaluation, actually guide the whole process of care. Values are explicit and implicit elements of the care culture and the individual's action system. The authors conclude that the four value categories could be used to study which values actually guide the care process in real situations.

Alternatives to natural science foundations for nursing

The underlying philosophical assumptions associated with the current vogue for humanistic and holistic approaches to nursing have not been subjected to systematic scrutiny, laying nursing open to the charge of being anti-scientific and even irrational. This paper outlines some of these assumptions and their origins, and proceeds to a brief survey of their impact on nursing theory, education and practice. It concludes with a call for the elucidation and consolidation of nursing practice which reflects phenomenological and humanistic alternatives to the natural science principles which have characterized traditional medical practice. In this connection I have used the term 'positivism' to refer to a general orientation according to which the world can only be known through observable entities, and regularities may be demonstrated and general laws verified through their measurement and quantification.

Nursing care as a moral, practical, communicative and creative activity

In this paper nursing care is studied by philosophical inquiry. According to the outlined philosophical theory, nursing can be conceived as a moral, practical, communicative and creative activity. This means that nursing care is viewed as a manifestation of a conception of the good life, that it is related to some kind of changes or non-changes with respect to the patient, that it is oriented towards reaching understanding and that something new, unpredictable and meaningful is created in the nursing interaction. The theory is defended by scientific, moral and practical arguments. Habermas' theory of communicative action plays a central part in the outlined theory of nursing care.