Clinical Decision-Making Process Analysis

The nurses’ clinical expertise contributes significantly in ensuring a safe and quality decisions for patients. Their mode of professional preparation, trainings, continuing education, and learned experiences, offers great influence in the clinical decision-making process (Friesen-Storms et al., 2015). So, when all the needed evidence and information are already gathered, nurses cannot directly apply and recommend it into practice. Initially, their assessment and critical thinking skills will be challenged as they determine the essence and usefulness of their evidence prior to presenting it to their clients and collaborating it to their colleagues (Friesen-Storms, Bours, Weijden, & Beurskens, 2015). They need to interpret and analyse the results,

Often, patient’s beliefs and preferences differ from a clinician’s perspective (Thompson, Aitken, Doran, Dowding, 2013). Therefore, it is vital to obtain their consent all throughout the course of their treatment whenever possible. We may have the best evidences and convincing evidence-based treatment information, however, scientific evidence must not predominate patient’s wishes and treatment preferences. Rather, it should be utilised to further support the patient in choosing between treatment options that best apply to their own beliefs, values, and principles (Freisen-Storms et al., 2015; ICN, 2012). It is imperative to help them understand the medical and nursing interventions being planned for promoting and improving their

Nonetheless, the adoption of EBP in the nursing profession helps in facilitating an effective decision-making process towards a goal of providing informed nursing care at its maximum. Nursing clinical decisions may be brought about by several resources, but most importantly, as discussed above, is that it should be driven by best research-evidences, carefully reflected and evaluated from nurses’ clinical perspective, and personally preferred or agreed by individual patients. There are many research evidence available, so searching for the best can be overwhelming, but nurses need to keep in mind its usefulness, generalisability, and reliability. When the best evidence is already identified, nurses then need to analyse and interpret its results if they are applicable and generalisable. Nurses need to make sure that the study’s participants, setting, clinical significance, and solutions are closely related and applicable to their own clinical situation and resources. Once the evidence is evaluated and established, nurses also need to present it to patients and consider their preference and approval, prior to putting it into practice. Their participation in the decision-making process is taken of great consideration since they are given the autonomy to decide for their own body and health. These three pillars of EBP serve to inform and guide the nurses’