Intention in Nursing Practice

Abstract

The purpose of this column is to explore the meaning of intention in nursing practice and distinguish it from the concept of intentionality. The notion that nurses engage in a purposeful act of setting intention prior to delivery of nursing care is introduced, and nursing implications for setting intention in practice is offered.

Intention and Intentionality: Articulating the Difference

“…She presented questions about the implications of this concept for practice and education. Dr. Sofhauser (2016), the author of the major article, presented numerous theoretical concepts developed by nurse scholars and researchers regarding both intention and intentionality and how these concepts are important in nursing. Although she cited my work on intentionality, she did not adequately represent my research and subsequent theory, Intentionality: The Matrix of Healing (Zahourek, 2004(Zahourek, , 2005(Zahourek, , 2009(Zahourek, , 2015.…”

“…She presented questions about the implications of this concept for practice and education. Dr. Sofhauser (2016), the author of the major article, presented numerous theoretical concepts developed by nurse scholars and researchers regarding both intention and intentionality and how these concepts are important in nursing.…”

Here and now: Lived experiences of professional nurses practising caring presence in a rural public hospital in the North West Province, South Africa

“…When a nurse is personally present, compassionate care becomes real, and this state is needed for those who intend to facilitate healing (Welch 2015 :93). Nurses who focus primarily on engaging in personal presence establish optimal milieus for intimate caring–healing interactions between the nurse and the patient (Sofhauser 2016 ). During shared moments of presence, PNs experience personal revitalisation, fulfilment and a sense of purpose (Trout 2013 ).…”

Culturally sensitive disaster nursing by Public health nurses in Japan

“…Many of the aspects of disaster nursing studied by Marutani et al (2020) were included in existing studies of disaster nursing (Stanley et al., 2015 ; World Health Organization, & International Council of Nurses, 2009). However, the intentions regarding these actions, which occur prior to the delivery of nursing care, have not been investigated (Paton et al, 2008; Sofhauser, 2016 ). Clarifying PHNs’ intentions and culturally sensitive actions would enable this tacit knowledge to be shared with PHNs throughout the world and contribute to raising PHNs’ sense of professionalism and competencies (Kayama et al, 2014; Campbell et al., 2020).…”