Principle-based concept analysis: Recognition in the context of nurse-patient interactions

Title. Principle-based concept analysis: recognition in the context of nurse-patient interactions. Aim. This paper is a report of a principle-based concept analysis of recognition in the context of nurse-patient interactions. Background. Recognition is a concept employed in practice and research. Since nursing is patient-centred and care is problem-driven, the specificity and accuracy of recognition may have an impact on how nurses label patient phenomena, interventions initiated and patient outcomes. Data sources. The data set included 98 English language articles published from 1997 to 2008 and retrieved through Medline and CINAHL searches. Methods. Principle-based concept analysis was used to examine the state of the science according to major perspectives of the philosophy of science. Conceptual components were integrated into a theoretical definition and the process of recognition was conceptually modelled. Findings. The scientific literature dealing with recognition in the context of nurse-patient interactions relies on implied meaning. Recognition is a process marked by an awareness of evidence coupled with the formulation of a conceptual label summarizing the identified pattern of patient phenomena. Contextual features of the nurse, patient and organization are relevant during nurse-patient interactions, resulting in pivotal points in nursing care. These pivotal points are the moments of recognition when the nurse consciously applies a summary label to interpreted evidence. Outcomes of recognition include a choice to act or not to act, each option carrying significant outcomes for nurses, patients, and at times, organizations. Conclusion. A working definition was produced that will serve as a foundation for future concept-driven research to advance the concept toward greater precision and usefulness in nursing science.