Concepts, analysis and the development of nursing knowledge: the evolutionary cycle

Nursing currently evidences concern with the development and clarification of its knowledge base. As a part of this focus, attention has often been directed towards concepts and methods of clarification. Although the method of concept analysis has been employed often to provide conceptual clarity, the foundations and implications of conducting an analysis of a concept have not been well explored in nursing. In this article, the philosophical foundations of the approach to concept analysis popularized by Walker & Avant (1983) are examined. Modifications of this method are offered, along with a framework for interpreting the findings of an analysis. The result is a view of concepts and an approach to analysis that may be of use in the clarification of a variety of concepts of interest in nursing.