Knowledge and level of consciousness: application to nursing practice.

Assessing a patient's level of consciousness is a skilled part of nursing practice. The epistemology of this activity is discussed using the four patterns of knowing identified by Carper. It is suggested that all four patterns and their interaction are necessary for a practitioner to be able to carry out this activity with the necessary reliability and accuracy that good safe practice dictates. A possible enhancement to how a practitioner gains this knowledge can be through the work of joint appointments, between education and clinical areas.