CONCEPT ANALYSIS/ CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

- Terms commonly used in Nursing

- Rigorous process of understanding concepts in science.
- Exploration of a concept for more in depth understanding

 SOURCES OF CONCEPTS
Concept Source Characteristics Examples from Nursing
Literature
Naturalistic Concepts Present in nursing Defined and developed Body weight, pain,
practice in research & theory thermoregulation,
development depression, etc.

Often have medical

implications
Research-based Developed through Often relate to a Hope, grief, cultural
concepts qualitative research nursing specialty competence, chronic
processes pain
Existing concepts Borrowed from other Developed for nursing Job satisfaction, quality
disciplines practice but useful in of life, abuse
research & theory

 PURPOSES OF CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

- Identifying gaps in Nursing knowledge
- Determining if concept needs to be clarified if it has multiple meanings
- Evaluating adequacy of competing concepts in their relation to other phenomena
- Examining if definition of concept and how it is being used is compatible
- Determining connection of the concept definition and its clinical application

 CONTEXT FOR CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

- Nurses must determine the concept in terms of the context. Concepts vary from context to
context, as there are concepts with similar appearance but different meanings in different
contexts.

 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS

- To further understand and verify a concept, it is subjected to descriptive or qualitative
studies. Using conceptual frameworks help connect a concept to other facets in the nursing
discipline to explicitly show the meaning of the concept.

 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

- Poorly defined concept/s can lead to faulty research instruments and methods.
- If nursing problems cannot be explained precisely by existing terminologies or if other
professionals cannot understand the problem, concept development is needed.