Ways of knowing hope: Carper’s fundamental patterns as a guide for hope research with bereaved palliative caregivers

Carper’s ways of knowing in nursing, empirics, esthetics, personal knowing, and ethics, provide a guide to holistic practice, education, and research. The origin and evolution of the ways of knowing are discussed and applied to current and proposed hope research with bereaved palliative caregivers, with the ultimate goal of promoting healthy, positive outcomes for this unique population. Bereaved palliative caregivers have unmet needs that may be addressed by research exploring hope during grief. For example, research from an empirical perspective identifies hope as a variable in grief resolution, esthetic knowing guides qualitative research on hope, personal knowing provides a constructivist philosophy to a qualitative inquiry, and ethical knowing includes the moral obligation for evaluation research. Unknowing and sociopolitical knowing offer a critical perspective as research is developed and applied, while considering complexity and social context. Nursing research from diverse epistemological perspectives will enhance the effectiveness and appropriateness of evidence-based practice.