Posted: February 3rd, 2025

Components and Levels of Abstraction in Nursing Knowledge/5y6gv

Grading Rubric: Discussion Board #3

Discuss the Conceptual Framework (C), Theory (T), Empirical Indicators (E) and how it supports the development of nursing knowledge with references (3 pts)
Article 1 (Willingness to Care for AIDS Patients): (6 points)
Identify the Following:
Conceptual Framework: 2 pts
Theory: 2 pts
Empirical Indicators (Instruments to Measure the Concepts): 2 pts

Article 2 (Breast Cancer): (6 points)
Identify the Following:
Conceptual Framework: 2 pts
Theory: 2 pts
Empirical Indicators (Instruments to Measure the Concepts): 2 pts

Total: 15pts

Components and Levels of Abstraction in Nursing Knowledge

Discuss the components of the Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical structure and how it supports the development of nursing knowledge. Provide references.  

The Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical (C-T-E) structure is a framework used to organize and develop nursing knowledge. It provides a systematic way to link abstract ideas to concrete observations.

This framework helps nurses to understand, explain, and predict phenomena related to health and illness.

The conceptual component represents abstract ideas or concepts that are relevant to nursing. These concepts may be broad, such as health, illness, or caring, or more specific, such as pain or anxiety.

Concepts form the foundation of nursing knowledge and provide a common language for nurses to communicate.

The theoretical component consists of a set of interrelated concepts that explain or predict a phenomenon. Theories provide a framework for understanding the relationships between concepts and for generating testable hypotheses.

Nursing theories offer explanations for various aspects of nursing practice, such as patient behavior or the effectiveness of interventions.

The empirical component involves the collection of data to test the relationships proposed by the theory. This data can be collected through various methods, such as surveys, interviews, or observations.

Empirical data provides evidence to support or refute the theory and contributes to the refinement of nursing knowledge.

The C-T-E structure supports the development of nursing knowledge by providing a systematic approach to inquiry. It encourages nurses to move from abstract ideas to concrete observations and back again, refining their understanding of the world.

By testing theories empirically, nurses can generate new knowledge and improve their practice. (Meleis, A. I. (2018). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.)

Identify the C-T-E structure in the following two articles:

Article 1:
Sherman, D.W. (1996). Nurses’ willingness to care for AIDS patients: Relationship to spirituality, perceived social support, and death anxiety. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 28(3), 205-213  

Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework appears to be based on the concepts of willingness to care, spirituality, perceived social support, and death anxiety. These concepts are used to explore factors influencing nurses’ willingness to care for AIDS patients.

This framework suggests that these factors are related to nurses’ attitudes and behaviors toward caring for this patient population.

Theory: The theory underlying this study might be a social-psychological theory related to attitudes and behavior, potentially incorporating elements of the Theory of Planned Behavior or similar models. It posits that willingness to care is influenced by beliefs and attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms (perceived social support), and perceived behavioral control (related to death anxiety and spirituality).

This theoretical lens helps to explain why some nurses are more willing to care for AIDS patients than others.

Empirical Indicators (Instruments to Measure the Concepts): The article likely used validated scales to measure the concepts of spirituality, perceived social support, and death anxiety. Willingness to care might have been assessed through a questionnaire or scenario-based questions.

Specific instruments used would need to be identified within the article itself.

Article 2:
Sherman, D. W., Haber, J., Hoskins, C., Budin, W., Maislin, G., & Shukla, S. (2009). Differences in physical, emotional, and social adjustment of Intimate, family, and non-family patient-partner dyads based on a breast cancer intervention study. Oncology Nursing Forum, 36(4), E18-197.

Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework centers on the concepts of physical, emotional, and social adjustment in patient-partner dyads affected by breast cancer. It explores how the relationship between the patient and their partner (intimate, family, or non-family) influences these adjustment outcomes.

This framework acknowledges the interconnectedness of the patient and their partner’s experiences in the context of breast cancer.

Theory: The study likely draws on theories of stress and coping, interpersonal relationships, and social support. It might hypothesize that different relationship dynamics (intimate, family, non-family) influence the coping mechanisms and support systems available to the dyads, leading to variations in adjustment.

This theoretical underpinning guides the investigation of the relationship between dyad type and adjustment outcomes.

Empirical Indicators (Instruments to Measure the Concepts): The study likely employed standardized instruments to assess physical, emotional, and social adjustment. Examples could include measures of quality of life, mood scales, and social functioning assessments.

The specific instruments used would be detailed in the methodology section of the article.

– Analyzing the Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure in Nursing Research: A Case Study of Two Articles by Sherman et al.

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