Knowing the patient: one aspect of clinical knowledge.

This paper analyzes the concept "knowing the patient" which was identified in a qualitative study of expert nursing practice during ventilator weaning of adult patients. The concept signified a cognitive and relational process by which the study participants determined salient aspects of a particular patient situation, while at the same time demonstrating their credibility and eliciting patient trust. The paper describes the clinical judgments, decisions, actions and patient outcomes that ensue from knowing the patient. This analysis offers a contextually specific description of nurses' clinical reasoning that illustrates a dimension of expert clinical practice from actual rather than simulated clinical content.