The Value and Significance of Knowing the Patient for Professional Practice, according to the Carper’s Patterns of Knowing

Background: Τhe scientific value of man relies upon an extension of a continuous effort of mankind to explain the nature of man. The core issue in nursing is man within his entirety. The aim of the present study was to review the literature about the Knowing the Patient for Professional Practice, according to the Carper’s Patterns of Knowing. Method and material: In this paper the four patterns of knowing according to Carper will be analysed. According to these patterns, a description of the meaning and strategies of " knowing the patient will be made. Finally the significance and value of it will be discussed, with specific referance to: skilled clinical judgement, involvement, patient advocacy, and clinical learning about larger populations. CINAHL and Medline were the basic data bases used for this literature review. Results: The process of knowing encompasses empiric, aesthetic ethic and personal elementsOn the other hand, " knowing the patient‖ acquires two broad dimensions: a) knowing the patient's patterns of responses and b) knowing the patient as a person. Patterns of responses are essential components for problem solving. Conclusions: The process of knowing the patient appears to be an integration of the four patterns that Carper identified. Moreover, knowing the patient was found important for clinical judgement personal involvement, patient advocacy and clinical learning. In order to enhance the ability of nurses to integrate the different patterns of knowing the person, educators should review the current teaching strategies to develop cognitive, intuitive, experiential, and personal knowledge.