Introduction The way to acquire knowledge could be explained form different thought phylosophycal perspective currents such as empirism, pragmatism, realism, and prisitivism among others. The phylosophycal perspective of any of them implicates advocating -using their own arguments- the concepts they develop to acquire new knowledge. Positivism states knowledge comes from
the observable, that it is objective; from this perspective phenomena are feasible of measurement and count and can, therefore, be researched and contribute to science. The so called "hard sciences" (mathematics, phisics, chemistry, etc.) have guided themselves by the positivist perspective in order to develop knowledge, and its influence has spread onto biological sciences such as medicine and nurisng which traditionally have been configured under this phylosophycal
paradigm.1 Postulados fundamentales del positivismo The term "positivism" was set at the end of the 19th century by Auguste Comte to point out to the scientific knowledge as the human knowledge climax.
Positivism boom goes back to 1907 when the Viena Circle was formed. It was represented mainly by the physicist Philipp Frank, the mathematic Hans Hahn, and the economist Otto Neurath. Their meetings aimed discussing science phylosophy themes, originating a new movement called "logical positivism".7 The name "logical" was added to indicate the support for new forms of scientific explanation based on the formal logic.
Traditionally under this current the researcher (the nurse) has to rely on what he/she can measure and count; everything that can not be explained by a mathematical language does not exist to science and, therefore, is left on the metaphysics realm.7,8 Positivism in the nursing science The first nursing conception within positivism alludes Nightingale due the historical moment lived at the end of the 19th century.7 Positivism creation coincides with Nightingale's nursing movement with her trascendent publication Notes on
Nursing,10 ich started the evironment hygienist current with the principles of cleanness, space, light, and air. Nightingale registerd her interventions which contributed to diminish infections and death for the soldiers in the nursing room at Crimea. Her records were the concrete evidence, the observable data that served nursing to formally enter into the health sciences, likewise Nightingale to become an
honorary member of the American Statistical Association in 1847 for his contribution to evidence-based practice. Positivism: from nursing research to nursing practice Positivism has a clear influence not only on the clinical area; this current clear influence is reflected in most nursing research when the positivism method is used through the inductive reasoning characterized by the observations or particular experiences processes arrivng to a result that can be generalized.12 Under this logical reasoning, nursing research as well as several disciplines uses the scientific method -a positivism method "per excellence". For example, in nursing, the main instrument derived directly from the scienctific method is the Applying Nurses Process (ANP). In research, however, other instruments or questionnaires with quantitative scales are used and constructed for measuring concepts transformed to variables
(through concept's abstract concretion processes).13 Concepts represent particular units from where the inductive reasoning starts; in order to be subject to measurement they are transformed into reactives or indicators that accompany numbers or scales so they can be translated into a statistical representation.4 The result or datum is
then interpreted on a mathematical basis and this last determines if it is, or not, significant to the research sample. When the research protocol is replied under specific conditions on different samples, one can arrive to its results generalization depending on the number of favourable events, measuring under what specific conditions the phenomenon should be replied; for example: once seen the result of certain physical exercise intervention that was successful in normalize adeponectin level
in a group of women with obesity (adeponectin is a hormone related to ateriosclerosis processes, arterial hypertension and diabetes),14 we might ask: "can this exercise dose be useful in all women with obesity within the clinical practice?" In answering this question, research has to go through a replying process with populations that have similar characteristics in different geographical areas; in such way we can
learn under which specific conditions the phenomenon studied will be replicated. Therefore, knowledge derived from research are numerical data suggesting rising interventions or actions in replicating the physical excercise dose in women with obesity is under a scientific foundation. Clarifying, to achieve a nursing care under a scientific foundation is necessary to verify several previous results that can be contrasted, and it is done by a systematic review of published research results. In
Hempel's words,15 "contrasting shows empirical data and can explain under what specific conditions the phenomenon will be replicated; statements constitute a scientific explanation that requires empirical contrast. Therefore, science gives meanings to the phenomenon that is explained by the verification method; when the phenomenon is repited under certain conditions its veracity is proven and thus scientific
postulates, laws, and generalizations arise.3 Reasoning is as follows: "nursing theory (as a biological science) has the purpose to explain or describe health care phenomena through postulates, statements, and hypotheses formulatiion,13 and these should be contrasted by means of theoretical support and number of favourable events; that
is, evidence accumulates, is contrasted and verified in different scenarios.16 Conclusion Nursing is neither a hard science nor a totally biological science because it deals with the person's wholeness and so, ti has not the necessary structure to establish human health care universal law. The quite deep abstract nature represented by the care phenomenon and its multiple variables around the human response pose over the prediction of conducts a series of limitations. We consider that not any phylosophical current has the absolute truth nor the best way for generating knowledge; however, is positivism the one that prevails in nursing, and its influence is totally marked in the hospital practice that uses scientific evidence based on the quantiiable clinical datum, and thus traditionally, what matters in the nursing care result is the numerical data. Finally, positivism is used in research through the nursing theoretical models use, making obvious its concrete usefulness in clinical practice by showing a circle between practice and research in order to generate and apply knowledge. References 1. Triviño, Zaider; Sanhueza, Olivia. Paradigmas de investigación en Enfermería. Ciencia y Enfermería. 2005; XI(1): 17-24. |