Module Components

• Overview
• Assignment

Topics

• Phenomena and Concepts

NDNP 804 - Theory for Evidence-Based Practice

Module 5: Relationship between Phenomena and Concepts

Phenomena and Concepts

What is a phenomenon?

• An aspect of reality that can be consciously sensed or experienced (Meleis, 2011)

A nursing phenomenon is frequently described as an experience (e.g., fatigue) or related experiences that influences health status and is relevant to nursing practice (e.g., postpartum fatigue, post traumatic stress disorder, burnout, job satisfaction, maternal child attachment, care coordination).

What is a concept?

• a word or phrase that summarizes the essential characteristics of a phenomenon (Fawcett, 2000)
• a label for a phenomenon that denotes attributes or characteristics
• a complex mental formulation of an event, experience or process 

Are the following phenomenon or concepts?

Quality of Life

Aggression

Caring

Anxiety

Job satisfaction

Breathlessness

Healthy pregnancy

Empowerment

Self-efficacy

Stress

Therapeutic environment

Personal space

The above may be phenomena or concepts depending upon how the term is viewed. A concept is a much more narrow view of an event, experience or process than a phenomenon. A concept is always a phenomenon, but a phenomenon may not be a concept.

Four Metaparadigm Domains of Interest to Nursing

• Nursing: includes concepts related to nursing’s presence, characteristics, interventions, interactions, etc.
• Person or Patient: includes concepts related to demographic characteristics, personality traits, experiences, etc. “Person” can also be a group, aggregate or community.
• Environment: includes concepts related to environmental culture, characteristics, events, locations, settings, etc.
• Health: includes concept related to physical, mental/emotional, social and spiritual well-being.

Concept Identification

Through concept identification, we engage in the process of identifying, labeling, describing, explaining and measuring phenomena of interest to nursing practice.

We begin to understand the who, what, why and how that surrounds the phenomena:

• Who is affected?
• What is happening?
• Why is that happening?
• How is that happening?

Over time as we research and read about this phenomena, we will see a pattern of concepts that emerge in the literature that relate to this phenomena This process is important because we can then more concretely describe the phenomena in terms of its concepts. The ultimate importance of concepts is that they are the “building blocks” of theories.

How to Begin Thinking about Phenomena and Concepts

• Choose a phenomenon based on a topic of interest that you have consciously sensed or experienced in nursing.
• Write down all of the words you can think of which relate to or express your phenomena.
• Search the literature for journal articles and books related to the phenomenon to get sense of the concepts, constructs and conceptual frameworks that have been used to define this phenomenon.
• Develop a definition of the core and related concepts that make up your phenomenon.
• Use the literature to include criteria to measure your core concept of interest in the real world.

References:

Fawcett, J. (2000). Analysis and evaluation of contemporary nursing knowledge: Nursing models and theories (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.

Meleis, A.I. (2011). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.