Complexity Science In Nursing

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Complexity science is the study of systems. It is a more focused look at how complexity contributes to both the chaos and organization within a system. Each system, no matter how large or small, is made up of fractals of even more complex or simple problems. However, there is no unraveling them, for they are inseparable. It is the infinite fractal structure of the system that determines its behavior. When this chaotic structure begins to break down, the behavior of the system will appropriately respond. (Clancy, Lindberg) By understanding the intricacies of the complex system, one may empower themselves to become an agent of change. There are structures in the chaos. Chaos itself is a structure. To understand chaos, is to open a gateway to…show more content…
But we must open our ways of thinking and the way we frame situations to include more holistic viewpoints. By understanding the feedback loops that crash into and ebb from one another, we may be more suited to view the patient as a whole, rather than a diagnosis to unravel and treat. The field of nursing will benefit from the macro level, down to the micro. Understanding systemic dynamics will improve workflow and productivity. Being blind to the kinks of the daily workflow will not only steal seconds away from a nurses routine, but it may also lead to interrupted attention and a disjointed thought process. This may cost a patient their life. A productivity flow that opens itself to an ultimate focus is a key player for patient safety, not just for the convenience and ease of a nurse’s…show more content…
It works together in an intricate, mysterious dance that modern medicine must still dedicate painstaking research to understand. So why should we approach the body as a math problem to work through? There is no linear fashion to the treatment of disease. One lesson that we may gain from antiquity is the idea of "chi", or energy, which flows through us as our life force. (See figure in Appendix A.) This figure is a representation of how the “chi” of the body ties us to the earth and the universe around us. This ancient idea is nothing more than a systemic way of viewing how the body interacts with itself, how the body interacts with its environment, and how the body interacts with others. In a more modern interpretation, we may take this to mean the microsystems of our body working together in positive and negative feedback loops, the environmental effects on our body, and how the realms of the social, mental, and spiritual spheres impact the body as well. It is becoming increasingly important for nurses to see all of these microsystems that create the larger system of the patient’s body in order to provide effective nursing interventions that are manageable, effective, and intrinsically relevant. Without the understanding of the 'forces' that create the patient, nurses will always be behind in providing the best of patient centered

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