Unveiling the Phenomena of Early Warning Signs through Carper’s Way of Knowing

Introduction: Healthcare providers are responsible for providing safe and quality care to their patients. During hospitalization patients often show signs of clinical decline several hours before the occurrence of an event. Recognizing these signs at an early stage is critically important. Inability to recognize these signs may result in complications including loss of human life. Early warning signs phenomena can be unveiled through Carper’s four ways of knowing, personal, aesthetic, empirical, and ethical. The personal way of knowing in nursing is based on nurses' experiences and intuition. Educators can help nurses to develop self-awareness and reflection skills to understand how their biases and beliefs affect patient care. The aesthetic way of knowing in nursing involves appreciating the art and beauty of nursing practice. Educators can help nurses develop compassion, empathy, and appreciation for the patient's holistic experience. The empirical way of knowing in nursing is based on scientific data. Educators can teach critical thinking and evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes. The ethical way of knowing in nursing involves applying moral principles. Educators can help nurses develop ethical decision-making skills and provide guidance.

Aim: The main objective was to review articles regarding the education and training of nurses and their impact on clinical judgment, reasoning, patient safety, and outcome according to Carper's Way of Knowing.

Methodology: A literature search was carried out from various databases, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and British Biomedical Ethics. The Key words used were “prevalence” AND “unplanned ICU admission”, “importance of early warning signs”, “outcome failure in rescue”, “patient deterioration” AND “communication”, “improvement in early detection” AND “patient outcome admission” AND “early warning signs” AND “patient safety” AND “Capers Ways of Knowing”, Curriculum” AND “Capers Ways of Knowing”, “Ethics”, And “Capers Ways of Knowing”, and “Impact on Clinical Practice” And “Curriculum” And “Capers Ways of Knowing” And “Pakistan”. Analysis of this literature review is presented through quantitative data and qualitative data to elaborate the phenomena.

Conclusion: Carper's theory impacts clinical practice, curriculum mapping, and nursing education. Ways of Knowing, combined with simulation-based learning and debriefing, prepare nurses by fostering reflection, safety, and confidence. Recognizing early warning signs through Carper's framework improves patient outcomes. Training should enhance nurses' knowledge and skills for effective recognition and response.