Ontological and Epistemological Foundations of Nursing Practice in Nigerian Sociocultural Contexts: A Philosophical Inquiry

Background: Contemporary nursing theory is predominantly constructed from Western ontological and epistemological traditions, creating philosophical misalignments when applied in Nigerian sociocultural contexts. A systematic philosophical inquiry into African nursing knowledge foundations is absent from Nigerian nursing scholarship. Aim: This study conducted a philosophical inquiry into the ontological and epistemological foundations of nursing practice in Nigerian sociocultural contexts. Methods: A critical philosophical methodology employed systematic textual analysis of 85 theoretical nursing texts alongside a hermeneutic analysis of 24 narrative interviews with senior Nigerian nursing scholars and practitioner-theorists. African philosophy frameworks including Ubuntu and Afrocentric epistemology were applied as analytical lenses. Results: Key philosophical tensions emerged between individualistic Western nursing models and communalistic Nigerian health and illness conceptualisations. Indigenous healing epistemologies, contextual views of the body, and family-centred care philosophies were identified as authentic Nigerian nursing knowledge sources. A preliminary Afrocentric nursing meta-theory was theorised from these convergences. Conclusion: Nigerian nursing theory development requires deliberate philosophical decolonisation. Incorporating African philosophical foundations in nursing education and clinical frameworks will produce more contextually valid and effective practice models. Keywords: nursing philosophy, Afrocentric epistemology, theory, Nigeria, Ubuntu.