On nursing theories and evidence

Purpose: To expand the understanding of what constitutes evidence for theor y-guided, evidence-based nursing practice from a narrow focus on empirics t o a more comprehensive focus on diverse patterns of knowing. Organizing construct. Carper's four fundamental patterns of knowing in nurs ing-empirical, ethical, personal, and aesthetic-are required for nursing pr actice. A different mode of inquiry is required to develop knowledge about and evidence for each pattern. Conclusions: Theory, inquiry, and evidence are inextricably linked. Each pa ttern of knowing can be considered a type of theory, and the modes of inqui ry appropriate to the generation and testing of each type of theory provide diverse sources of data for evidence-based nursing practice. Different kin ds of nursing theories provide different lenses for critiquing and interpre ting the different kinds of evidence essential for theory-guided, evidence- based holistic nursing practice.