What lies within: phenomenology and intuitive self-knowledge.

This article discusses the significance of intuitiveness as a component of phenomenological knowing and demonstrates how this way of knowing may exist independently of or coexist collaboratively with rationality and evidence-based practice. By using a holistic approach to knowing, nurses use clinical reasoning skills to prevent adverse patient outcomes from failure to diagnose problems, to establish appropriate treatments, and/or to deal with complications. As the complexity of health care escalates, health care providers must strive to think holistically to advance knowledge and contribute to their discipline. The discipline of nursing requires holistic thought and innovative interventions.