Revisiting caring science: some integrative ideas for the 'head, hand and heart' of critical care nursing practice

Aim: practices in critical care.This paper introduces the notion of ‘Caring science’ as a way to delineate and develop particular kinds of knowledge relevant to caring Relevance for practice: care nursing is analysed by pointing to examples of studies which describe temporality, spatiality, intersubjectivity and embodiment and how they may manifest with reference to the person as ‘body object/body subject’ and the matter of technology in critical care environments. Secondly, by use of an imagined practice scenario, the challenge of expanding our traditional notions of evidence to encompass ways of knowing that are more intimately embodied and practice related is discussed. Such knowledge, referred to as ‘embodied relational understanding’ is particularly relevant to a conception of caring for persons’ in a holistic way.Firstly, one particular development of person centred care, lifeworld led care is offered.