Self-awareness in nursing: a concept analysis

Background and Objectives: Self-awareness is a fundamental concept in nursing withgreat importance for nursing education and clinical practice. Yet, there are ambiguitiesabout its definition, uses, and attributes. Therefore, the present study was conducted toanalyze and clarify the concept of self-awareness and determine its attributes.Methods: This concept analysis was performed using Walker and Avant’s eight-stepmethod. Relevant literature published in English or Persian from ۲۰۱۰ to March ۲۰۲۱was searched with “self-awareness”, “nursing”, and “concept analysis” keywords.Literature search was done in IranMedex, SID, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and GoogleScholar databases. Relevant data were extracted and categorized as the uses, attributes,antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept.Results: In total, ۱۷۳ articles in English and eighteen in Persian were found and ۴۳articles in English and nine in Persian were included in the study. The definingattributes of self-awareness are multidimensionality, process, intentionality,introspection, self-reflection, self-discovery, and turning point. Its antecedents arepersonal readiness, metacognitive abilities, and learning about the self-awareness skilland its consequences are clinical, emotional, adaptive, and ethical consequences.Conclusion: Self-awareness in nursing is an ongoing, dynamic, multidimensional, andintentional process in which individuals, through introspection, self-reflection, and selfdiscovery,reach to a turning point for change and transcendence. Educationalinterventions are needed for self-awareness improvement among nurses. Moreover,specific instruments are needed for its development.

کلیدواژه ها:

Self-awareness ، Nursing ، Concept analysis