Toward more clarity in terminology: frameworks, theories and models

Lack of precision in a person's choice of words, which perhaps indicates a lack of clarity and accuracy in ideas, may become a subtle form of negative teaching. It is suggested that such terms as "conceptual frame of reference" and "theoretical framework" should be used as broad terms for conceptions of reality, reserving "philosophy," "theory" and "conceptual model" as more restricted terms for conceptions of reality. Nurse authors do not agree that nursing theory exists, that nursing has its own body of knowledge, that nursing is a science or even a discipline. Yet nursing is fully equipped to justify its claim to such terms. Starting from a nursing perspective rather than from a borrowed one, nursing theory can be developed, nursing knowledge can be accumulated, and nursing science can be advanced, all in the interests of a worthwhile contribution to society's health.