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Importance of critical thinking in the nursing process
Importance of critical thinking in the nursing process
Importance of critical thinking in the nursing process
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Definition and its concepts
According to Paul, Ennis and Norris (1990), critical thinking is defined as the disciplined, intellectual process of applying skilful reasoning as a guide to belief or action. Heaslip (1993) stated that critical thinking in nursing for clinical decision-making is the ability to think in a systematic and logical manner with openness to question and reflect on the reasoning process used to ensure safe nursing practice and quality care. Jones and Brown (1991) defined critical thinking in nursing is the use of technique analysis, questioning, interpretation, and reflection to resolve patient care issues. It also meant that a variant of the scientific method used for decision-making in the medical field. Furthermore, Potter and Perry (2004) state that it is the ability to think critically through the application of knowledge and experience, problem solving and decision making is central to
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professional nursing practice.
According to Bandman & Bandman (1995), critical thinking is defined as the rational examination of ideas, inferences, assumptions, principles, arguments, conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs and actions. In this subject ‘Critical Thinking in Nursing’ has emphasized critical thinking as an essential nursing skill and its definition of critical thinking have evolved over the years. In short, the general definition of critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored and self-corrective thinking. Every nurses must cultivate rigorous standards for critical thinking, however they cannot avoid completely the situatedness and structures of the clinical traditions and practices. They must make decisions and act quickly according to
specific cinical situations. It brings to different concepts in critical thinking in nursing, involving adherence to intellectual standards, proficiency in using reasoning, a commitment to develop and maintain intellectual traits of the mind and habits of thought and the competent use of thinking skills and abilities for sound clinical judgments and safe decision-making.
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
-Utilized critical thinking skills to the nursing process: assessed conditions, demonstrated effective decision making, implemented appropriate interventions, anticipated potential complications, and evaluated care outcomes
The author Vincent Ruggiero defines critical thinking in his book Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking, as a “search for answers, a quest.” It is the idea that one does not accept claims, ideas, and arguments blindly, but questions and researches these things before making a decision on them. From what I learned in class, critical thinking is the concept of accepting that there are other people and cultures in this world that may have different opinions. It is being able to react rationally to these different opinions.
Critical incidents are snapshots of something that happens to a patient, their family or nurse. It may be something positive, or it could be a situation where someone has suffered in some way (Rich & Parker 2001). Reflection and analysis of critical incidents is widely regarded as a valuable learning tool for nurses. The practice requires us to explore our actions and feelings and examine evidence-based literature, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice (Bailey 1995). It also affords us the opportunity of changing our way of thinking or practicing, for when we reflect on an incident we can learn valuable lessons from what did and did not work. In this way we develop self-awareness and skills in critical thinking and problem solving (Rich & Parker 2001). Critical incidents ???
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.
Today’s nursing environment is in a constant state of change as Canada’s healthcare environments continue to become increasingly complex (Brunt, 2005). This increased complexity can be attributed in part to new technology becoming increasingly integrated into healthcare, the growing Canadian older adult population, and the financial limitations currently being experienced by healthcare system (Brunt, 2005). In order for nurses to continue to provide quality care to Canada’s diverse and aging population there must be an increased emphasis on the development and use of critical thinking skills in the nursing profession (Brunt, 2005). Critical thinking is the “ability to examine and reflect on an issue in an organized
Lunney, M. (2010). Use of critical thinking in the diagnostic process. International Journal Of Nursing Terminologies & Classifications,21(2), 82-88. doi:10.1111/j.1744-618X.2010.01150.x
Critical thinking in nursing can be viewed and described in many different ways, but in general, has the same effect in nursing situations and outcomes. Authors Wilgis and McConnell believe that critical thinking is a purposeful, analytic understanding, and evaluation of information, that is then used
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the process of my identification and development of critical thinking during my nursing program including my current abilities in relation to this skill. Furthermore, I will reflect on the utilization of this skill in various clinical placements and in my final nursing preceptorship. Again, I will discuss its implication for future practice and how this skill will serve me as I transition from student nurse to graduate
Critical thinking and decision-making are key pieces involved in nursing care. Critical Thinking is the process in which questioning and analyzing ones thinking occurs. It is “the rational examination of ideas, inferences, assumptions, principles, arguments, conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs and actions” of a nurse (Coutts, 2014, p. 28). Critical thinking is more then making a decision, Roberts and Peterson (2013) purposes that critical thinking reflect a nurse’s wider perspective extending beyond problem solving. The process of critical thinking allows nurses to distinguish between significant observations and insignificant observations made during patient care, providing a foundation for decision-making (Roberts & Peterson, 2013, p. 86). “Clinical decision-making is a complex and dynamic process, occurring within a larger context and drawing from various dimensions of knowledge, in which nurses collect and organize information in order to form conclusions and choose actions, with the intent of creating the best outcomes for clients” (CRNBC, 2014, slide 19). The purpose of this paper is to describe a decision made in practice, explore the decision using the situated clinical decision-making framework and the practice implications involved.
Furthermore, the analysis should also include an overview of various applications allowing to discover other areas of concept’s implementation; for example, in “the fields of social and health science, marketing, engineering, business, and theology as an effective education teaching strategy"(Colln- Appling, 2016, p. 107). The next step of the analysis is the identification of the attributes of my researched concept, and that means to expound on characteristics of critical thinking described as problem recognition, clinical decision-making, prioritization, clinical implementation, reflection (Turkel, 2016). With that in mind, the following part of this analysis is to identify a model case which would reflect the complete example of utilization of critical thinking in a clinical setting. That aspect of concept study allows me to remember the recent interaction with one of my patients who called me complaining of feeling weak and dizzy assuming those symptoms were related to his blood sugar level of 195. However, having ten years of experience in emergency
“Critical thinking in nursing is an essential component of professional accountability and quality nursing care” (Masters, 2017, p. 217). Nurses apply critical thinking by using their intellectual reasoning to prevent unsafe practice. It allows nurses to study and interpret the data appropriately to make a judgement about the patient’s condition or the achievement of a particular outcome. The ability for nurses to critically think enhances the coordination of patient care by developing and applying strong clinical skills in a safe, organized environment. It is my belief that I utilize critical thinking skills to reflect on the implications and consequences of circumstances that may arise during a problem or to understand a patient’s condition
Critical thinking means accurate thinking in the search of appropriate and dependable knowledge about the world. Another way to describe it is sensible, insightful, responsible, and skillful thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. Critical thinking is not being able to process information well enough to know to stop for red lights or whether you established the right change at the supermarket.
In the healthcare setting, a systematic process to ensure maximum care and maximum recovery in patients is needed, which is called the nursing process. This process consists of four steps: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation (Walton, 2016). The nursing process is important to ensure quality care and to get the preferred outcome. In the nursing process, critical thinking is used to recognize the issue and come up with a logical solution to solving it. One important aspect of the nursing process is that the plan is not set in stone; it is meant to be manipulated in order to better suit the patient. Nurses must be able to think critically in order to recognize the issue, develop a way to correct it, and be able to communicate the issue to others. Throughout the nursing process, critical thinking is used to determine the best plan of care for a patient based on their diagnosis.