Interpretive Paradigm: A New Perspective in Nursing Practice

Interpretive paradigm supports different ways of viewing the world and acknowledges reality has multiple meanings. In addition, knowledge can be derived from other sources than senses (Monti & Tingen, 1999). In contrast to the empirical paradigm, the interpretive paradigm investigation is on human experience through the eyes of people in their lived situations (Weaver & Olson, 2006). The interpretive paradigm supports holistic nursing practice and “embraces esthetic, ethical and personal knowledge inherent in nursing which are patterns of knowing” essential to nursing practice (Carper 2012; Monti & Tingen, 1999 pp. 71). The contribution to nursing is essential within this paradigm as it looks at subjective experience instead of objective

Katharine Kolcaba comfort theory is a middle range theory. Comfort theory developed to look at health practice, education and research. Kolcaba (1990) described comfort as existing in three forms relief, ease and transcendence. Holistic comfort is defined as the experience of being strengthened through having the needs for relief, ease and transcendence met in four context the physical, social, psycho-spiritual and environment (Kolcaba, 2010). The theoretical structure of Kolcaba’s comfort theory contributes to nursing by guiding the work and thinking of all health care providers (March & McCormack, 2009). The comprehensiveness of this theory will benefit nursing practice in theory development and

Research and advantages It is advantageous to advocate for change in order to create liberation from social inequalities and oppression. Social critical theory is based on critical and self-reflection which allows increased knowledge of individuals and this knowledge will provide the tools to confront powers of domination and achieve results of emancipation (Mosqueda-Diaz et al, 2014). Butterfield (2013) supports “upstream approach in nursing to understand how the health of individuals are influenced by societal factors. Nurses can contribute by advocating for change with areas of ethics and social injustice.
Theory application Feminist theory is an important example of the application of the critical paradigm. It is thought of as situation-specific theory as it applies to intervening with a specific clinical situation that produces a nursing action. Wuest, (2012) notes that the nursing profession has been primarily female dominated through history and the goal of the feminist theory is to eliminate women’s oppression, domination and to enact for social change resulting in empowerment. Furthermore, this is relevant and applicable to the nursing profession since the interest of knowledge discussed above within this paradigm can help create tools for