Author(s)

Waraporn Kongsuwan

Department of Adult and Elderly Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand.

Theory is necessary to science and science grounds legitimate and essential practice. This is true for Nursing as a discipline of knowledge and a practicing profession. Nevertheless, should all science or research within a scientific field be focused on theoretical development and testing? Currently, various nursing theories exist to describe and explain the phenomena of nursing. Often, the development of nursing theory is in response to advancing ontologies and epistemologies of nursing. The advent of technology is one of these advances challenging the professional practice of nursing. How will nursing practice be made visible and realistic in the face of traditional nursing care practice? Nursing practice processes, derived from theories of nursing, provide opportunities for demonstrating practice grounded in the science of nursing. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of the emergent theory of Aesthetic Nursing Practice, focus on illuminating caring for person through the process of encountering, co-creating caring relationships, and meaningful engaging between the nurse and nursed through caring encounters occurring in caring situations. Five assumptions and a model of practice are described. As a contemporary theory of Nursing, it describes caring for persons who remain wholes and enhance their well-being.

Aesthetic Expression, Caring, Nursing, Theory Development

Kongsuwan, W. (2020) Development of the Emergent Theory of Aesthetic Nursing Practice (AesNURP). Health, 12, 764-780. doi: 10.4236/health.2020.127056.