Matahela Vhothusa E, Ngwenya Nelisiwe
Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Curationis. 2025 Feb 28;48(1):e1-e15. doi: 10.4102/curationis.v48i1.2652.
Ubuntu, an ancient African philosophy, embodies the essence of humanness through communal responsibility and interconnectedness. It shapes moral values and culture that can be implemented in nursing to improve patient care. However, colonial and Western-centric education systems have marginalised ubuntu philosophy resulting in a disconnect from its core principles in contemporary nursing practices.
This meta-synthesis aims to synthesise qualitative literature on ubuntu philosophy in nursing to identify key aspects of the philosophy that can be integrated into nursing education.
A systematic search using keywords related to ubuntu in nursing and nursing education was conducted across multiple databases, including health sources: Nursing/Academic Edition, Medline, ProQuest, PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar. This search aimed to identify qualitative studies exploring the application of ubuntu philosophy within nursing and its implications for nursing education. Quality appraisals were conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative research. Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnography techniques were employed to synthesise studies.
A total of 16 studies were included. The meta-synthesis revealed one meta-theme, namely the integration of ubuntu principles into nursing education with three subthemes: pedagogical approaches, decolonising nursing education and role modelling ubuntu.
Ubuntu should be integrated into formal nursing education programmes to align with patients' expectations and enhance nursing care quality and student needs for targeted support on the subject.Contribution: The study enriches the ongoing discourse on integrating indigenous philosophies such as ubuntu into nursing education, aligning nursing care with local cultural and ethical values to promote more humane practices.
乌班图（Ubuntu）是一种古老的非洲哲学，通过集体责任和相互联系体现人性的本质。它塑造了道德价值观和文化，可应用于护理工作以改善患者护理。然而，殖民和以西方为中心的教育体系使乌班图哲学边缘化，导致在当代护理实践中与它的核心原则脱节。
本元综合研究旨在综合关于护理中乌班图哲学的定性文献，以确定可融入护理教育的该哲学的关键方面。
在多个数据库中进行系统检索，使用与护理及护理教育中的乌班图相关的关键词，包括健康资源库：《护理学/学术版》、医学期刊数据库、ProQuest、PubMed、护理学与健康领域数据库（CINAHL）和谷歌学术。此次检索旨在识别探索乌班图哲学在护理中的应用及其对护理教育影响的定性研究。使用定性研究的批判性评估技能计划清单进行质量评估。采用诺布利特和黑尔的元民族志技术对研究进行综合。
共纳入16项研究。元综合研究揭示了一个元主题，即将乌班图原则融入护理教育，并有三个子主题：教学方法、护理教育去殖民化和乌班图的榜样作用。
应将乌班图哲学纳入正规护理教育计划，以符合患者期望，提高护理质量，并满足学生在该主题上获得针对性支持的需求。贡献：该研究丰富了关于将乌班图等本土哲学融入护理教育的持续讨论，使护理工作与当地文化和道德价值观保持一致，以促进更人性化的实践。
