Self-awareness in nursing: A scoping review

Aims and objectives To outline and examine the literature about self-awareness in nursing and to identify areas for future research and practice. Background Self-awareness is important for the personal and professional development of nurses, for developing an effective nurse-patient relationship and for improving nursing abilities. Despite its importance in nursing and therapeutic nurse-patient relationship and its evolving nature, the knowledge base for self-awareness in nursing remains under-examined. Design A scoping review using PRISMA guidelines. Methods A five-step approach: (a) identification of research question; (b) identification of relevant studies using a three-step search: keywords search within PubMed and CINAHL, literature search within PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Google Scholar, and literature search of references lists; (c) study selection; (d) data extraction and charting; (e) data collation, summarisation and reporting, was used. Findings Of 1,531 identified sources, 76 full-text sources were read and 29 English language sources, published from January 1980 until January 2018, which included nurses or nursing students, were reviewed. Two themes: perspectives on self-awareness and strategies for enhancing self-awareness emerged. Under these themes, conceptualisation of self-awareness; its antecedents and value; and theory-based, educational and personal strategies for its enhancement were described. There is sufficient literature regarding self-awareness conceptualisation and theory-based strategies for its enhancement, but inconclusive evidence regarding value of self-awareness, and educational and personal strategies for its improvement. Conclusion There is limited research on self-awareness. Most of the literature comprises of theoretical discussions and opinions which adequately provide a conceptual understanding of self-awareness. However, more empirical and applied research is needed to apply the available theoretical knowledge in practice. Relevance to clinical practice This review delineated theoretical, educational and personal strategies for nurses to improve their self-awareness and indicated that engagement in self-awareness at relational and contextual levels is essential for developing nurse-patient relationship.