Author(s)

Anne Lise Holm^1*, Elisabeth Severinsson²

¹Department of Health Science, Stord/Haugesund University College, Stord, Norway.
²Centre for Women’s, Family and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University College of Southeast Norway, Kongsberg, Norway.

The aim of this systematic review was to illuminate intuition in clinical nursing. Frequently described as a defining characteristic of professional expertise, intuition is gaining acceptance as a legitimate form of knowledge in clinical nursing. A total of 352 abstracts were read and eight quantitative studies included. A thematic analysis was performed to one main theme, two themes, and four sub-themes emerged. The main theme was: Sensing an unconscious and conscious state of mind, and the two themes were: A sudden emotional awareness and reflection, and arousal of conscious thought processes. The first theme included two sub-themes: Sensing spiritual connections with patients and experiencing physical sensations; worrying and reassuring feelings. The second theme comprised two sub-themes: Willingness to act on personal, interpersonal, and clinical experiences; the influence of maturity and social support in clinical decision-making. An implication for clinical nursing was the need to develop sensitivity as a key to understanding the patient’s illness. In conclusion, leadership and management could facilitate discussions about intuition as a legitimate method of processing information and making decisions about patient care.

Clinical Nursing, Conscious, Emotional Awareness, Knowledge, Unconscious

Lise Holm, A. and Severinsson, E. (2016) A Systematic Review of Intuition—A Way of Knowing in Clinical Nursing?. Open Journal of Nursing, 6, 412-425. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2016.65043.