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Importance of critical thinking skills in decision
Importance of critical thinking skills in decision
Critical thinking skills in nursing assessment
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Introduction:
Nursing is a noble job and it is a profession where it attracts those who have natural nurturing abilities. People chose to be a nurse as they have the desire to help and assist others and a knack for science or anatomy. Nursing is known to be an art and science. There are many skills that a nurse would nurture in and one of the most important skills that a successful nurse has is the ability to think critically. Being a nurse for the past twenty six years, I strongly believe that, the ability to gain the skills to think critically is not by overnight. Critical thinking skills are gain by time. I also believe that other healthcare providers often over looked the nurse’s ability to thinking critically and this had been agreed by
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Nurses do gain a lot of knowledge during their practical days in nursing schools. However, those skilled alone will not get a nurse to go far; they need to have the ability to think critically and make a rational decisions. Being a nurse, I believe that the ability to thinking critically is indeed crucial. Nurses do face lots of pressure in their profession and they would struggle as a nurse if they do not have the ability to make quick and efficient decision. It is believed that, some critical thinking skills comes very naturally, meanwhile others are gain, developed and acquired during their nursing student …show more content…
Task nurses need to deal with a wider range of issues to the each patient’s problems, including the complications and improvements as well as annotations to clinical finding and communications with the doctors as well. Here the nurse’s judgment is at the heart of the center care delivered to patients. Clinical decision making, is not done solely by the nurses, it is join decision done by the doctors and other healthcare providers. Therefore, it is essential for nurses to have observational and reasoning skills in order to make sound, reliable clinical decision making. Nurses should be competent in making decisions in order to meet the complicated and ever changing conditions and needs of a patient.
Being a nurse I strongly feel that when a nurse uses critical thinking in her/his daily work, she/he would solve the issues faster and easier and they would make more appropriate decisions for their patients. It is not a denying fact that, decision making about patients care is one of the important roles of nurses and by having critical thinking it would surely help the nurse to make the appropriate decision. It is believe that the main aim of developing critical thinking in nursing is to improve the independent decision making ability by the nurses (Salehi, et. al.
Nurses help patients with their physical needs with details, explain the complex steps of medical treatment, communicate with doctors to share patients’ health conditions and proper treatments, and give emotional support to patients in stressful situations. There are certain limitations that nurses have in decision makings because doctors obtain the most power in patients’ medical clinics. However, nurses are more friendly, helpful, and suffering for patients. Lastly, experienced nurses can make a better choice for the patients over young and un-experience
Making a clinical decision is a skill that needs to be acquired, and nurses are accountable for any decision that is made, so they need to understand how they make decisions (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2015). A greater understanding of how nurses make decision is essential to follow research and development of decision making skills (Clark et al, 2009) . A first step to a decision making process may entail understanding a framework or model. Baumann and Deber (1986) define decision making as situations in which a choice is made among a number of possible alternatives often involving values given to different outcomes”.
LeMone, P., Burke, K., & Bauldoff, G. (2011). Medical-surgical nursing: Critical thinking in patient care (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Critical thinking and knowledge are the foundation of nursing practice, and the most essential elements in providing quality nursing care. Nu...
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, K. B. (2015). Critical thinking tactics for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies (3rd ed.). [VitalSource Bookshelf Version]. http://dx.doi.org/9781284059571
Define a critical thinking task that your staff does frequently (Examples: treat high blood sugar, address low blood pressure, pain management, treat fever, etc.). Create a concept map or flow chart of the critical thinking process nurses should take to determine the correct intervention. Include how much autonomy a nurse should have to apply personal wisdom to the process. If the critical thinking process was automated, list two instances where a nurse may use “wisdom” to override the automated outcome suggested. Note the risks and benefits of using clinical decision-making systems.
Clinical decision making involves the gathering of information, awareness, experience, and use of proper assessment tools. The term is often used when describing the critical role of nurses. The process is, therefore, continuous, contextual, and evolving. Authentic practices and experienced people are required to offer guidelines when needed. Effective decision making in clinical environment combines skills such as pattern recognition, excellent communication skills, ability to share, and working as a team, reflection, use of the available evidence and guidelines as well as application of critical thinking. A Clear understanding of this term contributes to consistency, broadening of the scope and improving the skills. However, this paper aims at providing an opinion on clinical decision making and how it is connected to nursing practices.
Sorensen, H. J., & Yankech, L. (2008). Precepting in the Fast Lane: Improving Critical Thinking in New Graduate Nurses. Journal Of Continuing Education In Nursing, 39(5), 208.
This paper will discuss three theories of decision-making that can be adopted in nursing practice, additionally how decision-making theories are able to be implemented and used. Decision-making in nursing is adopted through the critical thinking process that provides each nurse a model to make the best choices, solve problems and to meet goals in clinical practice (Berman & Kozier 2018, pp. 199-200; Levett-Jones & Hoffman 2013, pp. 4-5). Effective decision-making in nursing is a vital component and part of the role of a registered nurse; each year a substantial number of patients die due to medical errors and poor decision-making (Levett-Jones & Hoffman 2013, pp. 4-5; Nibbelink & Brewer 2017, p. 3). Through the use of effective decision making
"Critical thinking is the ability to think systematically and reflect on the reasoning process used to ensure safe nursing practice. Therefore, critical thinking skills are helpful in making appropriate decisions and quality nursing care (Zarifsanaiey, Amini, & Saadat, 2016, p.2). With the in mind let us review model case which introduces a 70-year-old male who came to see a Certified Outpatient Diabetes Educator with concerns of elevated blood sugars for last two days. As the nurse reviews patient's history she also investigates if there were any recent changes in medications, physical activity, diet, and reviews patient's understanding of the importance of injections site rotation and monitoring for an expiration date of insulin itself. Therefore, a nurse proceeds to examine the insulin pump download and immediately realizes that the patient has not been changing his insertions site every three days as often instructed which definitely could be a reason behind persistent hyperglycemia due to inadequate insulin delivery.
Preusser, B. (2008). 4th Ed. Winningham and Preusser’s critical thinking in nursing: Medical-surgical, pediatric, maternity, and psychiatric case studies. New York: Elsevier/Mosby Inc.
Yildirim, B. & Ozkahraman, S. (2011). Critical Thinking in Nursing and Learning Styles. 1. Retrieved from http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_18_Special_Issue/15.pdf
One of the most essential aspects of doing a job well, no matter what job it is, is the ability to think critically about a situation. Finn (2011) defines critical thinking as “the ability and willingness to assess claims and make objective judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons and evidence rather than emotion or anecdote”. The difference between assessing a certain situation critically and assessing it without any evidence to corroborate your claims is that when you look at something critically, you are using your ability to “come up with the alternative explanations for events, think of research findings and apply new knowledge to social and personal problems” (Finn, 2011). When you can come up with other explanations using evidence, you can also create an alternative way of enhancing the situation. Critical thinking skills are especially important to nurses in a fast-paced setting. Nursing is a very demanding and rewarding field to enter into; it becomes enjoyable when you are good at it. In order to be good at their jobs, nurses need to learn the skills required to think critically and also, relate those skills to their everyday routines. This is known as evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice is defined as “using the best scientific evidence available to guide clinical decisions and interventions with the goals of fostering self-management skills and improving health outcomes” (Miller, 2011). This paper examines the skills required for critical thinking, how to learn these skills, and how to apply them in clinical settings. (Miller, 2011; Finn, 2011; Noonan, 2011; Lunney, 2010; Wangensteen, Johansson, Bjorkstrom & Nordstrom, 2010; Chitty & Black, 2011).
“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival” (Aristotle, n.d.)
Decision making is part of our daily routine. We make decisions every day not just in our personal lives but also in our profession. As a healthcare professional, making a sound clinical decision is vital to accurately diagnosed a patient, and to establish an effective treatment intervention for them.