The theory framework of nursing science is built in a dynamic process that arises from practice and is reproduced through research, mainly by analysis and develop- ment of concepts and theories. This study presents a theory reflection on nursing knowledge construction and points out subsidies for future studies in the area. The interrelation among theory, research, and clinical practice is required for continuous development of nursing as a profession and science. Ideally, the practice must be based on theory that is validated by re- search. Therefore, theory, research, and practice affect each other reciprocally and continuously.
Opinion leaders are informal leaders who have the ability to influence others’ decisions about adopting new products, practices or ideas. In the healthcare setting, the importance of translating new research evidence into practice has led to interest in understanding how opinion leaders could be used to speed this process. Despite continued interest, gaps in understanding opinion leadership remain. Agent-based models are com- puter models that have proven to be useful for representing dynamic and contextual phenomena such as opinion leadership. The purpose of this paper is to describe the work conducted in preparation for the develop- ment of an agent-based model of nursing opinion leadership. The aim of this phase of the model development project was to clarify basic assump- tions about opinions, the individual attributes of opinion leaders and characteristics of the context in which they are effective. The process used to clarify these assumptions was the construction of a preliminary nursing opinion leader model, derived from philosophical theories about belief formation.