Case Study The Science Of Knowing

Empirics: The Science of Knowing Carper (1978) describes empirical knowledge as the science of nursing where knowledge describes, explains, and predicts “phenomena of special concern to the discipline of nursing” (p. 14). There are several ways in which the nursing care I provided demonstrated the use of empirical knowledge. Initially, when Mr. Brown arrived, I was the primary nurse. Knowing he was presenting with chest pain, I started a thought process in my head that included possible causes of chest pain and interventions I would need to complete. Simply by looking at the patient, I could see that Mr. Brown was male, elderly, overweight, semi-pale, and diaphoretic. Common risk factors for Heart Disease and Heart Attack include being male over 45, obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia (American Heart Association, …show more content…
Violence, drug dependence and diabetes, according to White, are political problems as well as personal problems. Perhaps this can also be said for obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, all of which were listed in Mr. Brown’s medical history. In this case, it is important to understand that these health problems are many times a human response to the stressors of society. During my time with Mrs. Brown I explained to her what a heart attack was as well as potential causes. She did note that Mr. Brown had a family history of heart attacks which is a non-modifiable risk factor (AHA, 2016). However, she also acknowledged they do eat out a lot and get very little exercise and have been under a lot of stress due to a family member’s recent health diagnosis. She promised me that after Mr. Brown recovered, they would attempt lifestyle changes like eating healthier, becoming more active and ensuring his blood pressure was checked