An Analysis Of Barbara Carper's Fundamental Patterns Of Knowing In Nursing

In Barbara Carper’s “Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing “(1978), Carper outlines four different patterns of knowing: empirics, esthetics, personal and ethics. Carper believes that all of these patterns of knowing are not mutually exclusive or sufficient on their own merit. What Carper shows is that these four patterns of knowing are intertwined and each play their role in a nurse’s knowledge base. This paper will outline Carper’s four patterns of knowing as it applies to nursing. Empirics are important to Carper for it is the knowledge gained from science and other sources. It provides a way of knowing the world we live in with a way to gain knowledge about the field of nursing in relationship to its physical boundaries. This knowledge can help predict future events in a patient’s health while providing explanations and solutions a nurse may encounter. This pattern of knowing assists the nurse in performing their duties in relationship to disease and the promotion of wellness.

Carper refers to this as the ”art of nursing” (Carper, 1978, pg. 16). The empirical pattern emphasizes the epistemology of the physical world in relationship to observed events or phenomena. Esthetics goes beyond empirics by increasing the level of patient care by noting small details and making the nurse/patient experience a satisfying one. By allowing the nurse to express style and individuality, they may be able to increase the level of care provided and be able to assess immediate dangerous situations in a more efficient and timely way. Through esthetics, the nurse will know the actions needed to mitigate dangerous situations and how to prevent similar occurrences from happening