Donna Frost

Concept analysis 39 2 Within the fields of healthcare practice and education for healthcare practice there are two significant bodies of work with respect to professional artistry and its facilitation: that of Della Fish ( 1998 ) and colleagues (eg. Fish and Coles, 1998 ; Fish and de Cossart, 2007 ) and that of Angie Titchen ( 1998 , 2000 , 2009 , 2019 ) and colleagues (eg. Higgs &Titchen, 2001 a, 2001 b; Higgs, Titchen, Horsfall &Armstrong, 2007 ; Hardy et al., 2009 b; Titchen & Kinsella, 2019 ). The work of Fish and colleagues explores the relationship and relevance of ideas such as connoisseurship and artistic appreciation to the caring professions, linking the idea of professional artistry within healthcare to the Arts. They argue, for example, for a more holistic view of medical decision making and judgement, one that recognises and draws on the artistic processes involved (Fish & Coles, 1998 ; de Cossart & Fish, 2004 ; Fish, 2004 ; Fish & de Cossart, 2006 , 2007 ). Titchen’s ( 2019 ) work ‘is derived from studies of the professional craft knowledge of practitioners with expertise and has focused on enabling others to develop their professional artistry’ (pp. 49 - 50 ). Titchen’s conceptualisation of professional artistry is the most comprehensive within the literature studied for this review. It is also the only work on professional artistry to be represented in all six of the key aspects of professional artistry discussed in this chapter. The results of the concept analysis are presented below. After summarising the six key aspects of professional artistry they are identified as reference points, antecedents, attributes or consequences (phases 4 and 5 of Rodgers’ process, see Textbox 1 ). This is followed by an exploration of each aspect in turn. The senryu- style poems at the beginning of each subsection were written by me and express the essence of my understanding of each aspect. Key aspects of professional artistry: reference points, antecedents, attributes and consequences Six key aspects of professional artistry were evident in the literature. In short, professional artistry: 1. Occurs in complex or challenging practice situations, 2. Is demonstrated by professionals well prepared for the encounter, 3. Occurs against a (theoretical and practical) professional framework, 4. Is embedded and embodied in professional practices, 5. Involves the professional perceiving and responding holistically, critically and creatively, 6. Contributes to human flourishing.