TheoMap

• Duration: 2021-2022
• Contact: Jasmin Eppel-Meichlinger, BScN, MSc

Background: The progress of a discipline is often measured by the scope and quality of its theories and the extent to which its scientific community engages with its theories, their use and development. While the research landscape in nursing since the 1960s was first dominated by grand theories and later by medium-range theories, since the 21st century an international trend towards empirical research seems to be emerging, which seems to be taking over the production of knowledge in nursing science. In parts of the scientific community in German-speaking countries, there is a view that there is an increasing lack of theory development and that basic research should be pushed in order to promote the scientific foundation of nursing. However, in nursing science publication analyses from the German-speaking area in recent years, theory work has not been systematically collected and mapped, so that the actual state of nursing science theory work remains undeveloped so far.
 

Aim: The aim of the project is to identify the state of nursing theory work in the last five years by authors from German-speaking countries in international nursing journals. To this end, the proportion and characteristics of theoretical work in nursing science will be identified and explored. In particular, the types of theoretical papers published, the theoretical goals pursued by the authors, the methodological and methodological approaches used, and the theories and topics referred to will be presented. Finally, this will contribute to the discussion about nursing theory formation and possible starting points for revitalising theory dynamics in German-speaking countries.