Hope in patients with spinal cord injury: a literature review related to nursing.
Few studies have addressed nursing of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) related to the phenomenon of hope. Therefore, a systematic computer-based literature review to analyze the phenomenon of hope was conducted, focusing on both empirical and theoretical perspectives, to highlight the potential for further empirical studies. The review examined existing definitions of hope, theories on hope in nursing, and methodological and empirical perspectives on studies of hope in the literature. The findings showed that hope has been defined in a theoretical and general way, which has influenced empirical and theoretical research in this developing area of knowledge. These findings show that the phenomenon of hope can be generalized (the process of hoping) and particularized (the substance of hope). In addition, this analysis demonstrates that hope is a prospective phenomenon because it is future-oriented (according to the process) and has a positive essence (according to the substance).