Hegemony, hermeneutics, and the heuristic of hope.

Hope has become a commodity, one that society expects those who suffer to invest in and one that healthcare providers are expected to promote as an outcome. In nursing research, a single hegemonic epistemology/ontology has been implemented through an exclusive hermeneutic (interpretation of data) and has resulted in hope being designated as an external objective heuristic for those who suffer. Evidence is articulated in this article for adopting a broader method of analysis and interpretation (genealogy) that can facilitate fuller apprehension of hope in the human experience of suffering and despair.