The Kuhnian incommensurability thesis and its use in nursing for critique of the scientific fact of “skin wound in bedridden patients”
Published 2025-04-10
Keywords
- Nursing,
- Knowledge,
- Health,
- Research,
- Wounds and Injuries
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2025 Gilberto de Lima Guimaraes, Isabel Yovana Quispe Mendoza , Vania Regina Goveia , Edmar Geraldo Ribeiro, Jaqueline Almeida Guimarães Barbosa , Mariana Oliveira Guimarães
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Introduction
This study presents an epistemological reflection on nursing based on the philosophy of Thomas Kuhn. The incommensurability thesis is a central element of his framework, allowing for a critique of epistemic shifts occurring as paradigms are replaced. Nursing scholars have identified two successive paradigms: the Empirical and the Nightingale paradigms, the latter of which laid the foundation for the professional and scientific development of the field. Applying the Kuhnian thesis to nursing requires selecting a common scientific fact across paradigms. This study’s scientific fact under analysis is the “skin wound in bedridden patients.”
Objective
To apply the incommensurability thesis to understand the concept of the
scientific fact “skin wound in bedridden patients” across paradigm traditions in nursing during the 19th century.
Method
The following research question guided this study: How does the incommensurability thesis influence the concept of the scientific fact “skin wound in bedridden patients” across paradigm traditions in nursing? To comprehensively address this question, we structured the text into three sections: (1) an overview of the key elements underpinning the Kuhnian thesis, (2) the development of the concept of the scientific fact within the Empirical paradigm, and (3) its development within the Nightingale paradigm, based on the text Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not.
Results
The concept of the scientific fact remained stable across paradigm traditions.
Conclusion
Applying the incommensurability thesis made it possible to assess that the concept of “skin wound in bedridden patients” remained unchanged within both the Empirical and Nightingale paradigms. This finding supports the understanding that conceptual modifications are rare and tend to be limited to a specific type, which Kuhn termed “point by point.” The Nightingale paradigm introduced substantive changes in patient care, organizational structures, education, and the promotion of research practice.