1. CRITICAL THINKING

2. OBJECTIVES n 1. Discuss critical thinking and problem solving. n 2. Describe importance of critical thinking for nurses.

3. PRETEST n 1. Define the word critical. n 2. Identify one way in which nurses use critical thinking in their practice. n 3. How many problem-solving methods exist? n 4. What is at least 1 characteristic of critical thinking? n 5. Define decision making.

4. Con’t n 4. Rational & reflective, involves healthy, constructive skepticism, is autonomous, includes creative thinking, is fair thinking, focuses on what to believe & do. n 5. The process of establishing criteria by which alternative courses of action are developed & selected.

5. ANSWERS n 1. Requiring careful judgement. n 2. To problem solve & make decisions, to make reliable observations, draw sound conclusions, create new information & ideas, evaluate lines of reasoning & improve their self-knowledge. n 3. Five. n.

6. WHY IS CRITICAL THINKING IMPORTANT? n 1.Critical thinking is the key to resolving problems. n 2. Nurses must make complex decisions, adapt to new situations & continuously update their knowledge & skills. Critical thinking is integral to all of these n 3. Critical thinking will be essential to pass the NCLEX.

7. (Con’t) n 4. National League for Nursing (NLN) accredited programs must include content designed to develop critical thinking skills.

8. WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING? n Critical thinking is the rational examination of ideas, inferences, assumptions, principles, arguments, conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs & actions.

9. WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING IN NURSING? n Purposeful, goal-directed thinking aiming to make judgments based on evidence rather than conjecture. It is based on principles of science & the scientific method & develops strategies that maximize human potential & compensates for problems caused by human nature

10. WHAT WOULD BE A SYNONYM FOR CRITICAL THINKING? n Reasoning which is a highly individualized, complex activity that involves distinct ideas, emotions & perceptions.

11. WHAT ARE THE (2)TYPES OF REASONING? n Inductive reasoning= generalizations are formed from a set of facts or observations. n Deductive reasoning= reasoning from the general to the specific.

12. WHAT DOES CRITICAL MEAN? n Critical means requiring careful judgment. n Thinking means to have an opinion, to reflect on or ponder, to call to mind or remember to devise a plan, to form a mental picture of (image), to reason

13. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THINKING & CRITICAL THINKING? n CONTROL n Critical thinking is controlled, purposeful & more likely to lead to obvious beneficial results n Thinking is basically any mental activity;can be aimless & uncontrolled; it may serve a purpose, but we often aren’t aware of its benefits;we might not even remember our thoughts at all

14. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CRITICAL THINKING? n 1. It is rational & reflective. n 2. It involves healthy, constructive skepticism. n 3. It is autonomous. n 4. It includes creative thinking. n 5. It is fair thinking. n 6. It focuses on what to believe & do.

15. WHAT ARE ATTITUDES OF CRITICAL THINKERS? n They are: n 1. Active thinkers. n 2. Knowledgeable of their biases & limitations. n 3. Fair-minded. n 4. Willing to exert a conscious effort to work in a planful manner.

16. (Con’t) n 5. Good communicators. n 6. Empathetic. n 7. Open-minded. n 8. Independent thinkers. n 9. Curious & insightful. n 10. Humble. n 11. Proactive.

17. (Con’t) n 12. Honest with themselves & others, admitting when their thinking may be flawed or requires more thought. n 13. Organized & systematic in their approach. n 14. Flexible. n 15. Cognizant of rules of logic n 16. Realistic

18. (Con’t) n 17. Team players. n 18. Creative & committed to excellence.

19. DOES CRITICAL THINKING INVOLVE CRITICAL ANALYSIS? n YES! Critical analysis is a set of questions one can apply to a particular situation or idea to determine essential information & ideas & discard superfluous information & ideas. Apply questions only prn.

20. ARE CRITICAL THINKING & PROBLEM SOLVING THE SAME? n NO! They are sometimes used interchangeably but are separate processes that are related in some situations. Not all decisions we make involve solving a problem; creativity is a form of critical thinking itself.

21. WHAT IS PROBLEM SOLVING? n Process used when a gap is perceived between an existing state (what is occurring)& a desired state of what should be occurring. n Nurse obtains info. that clarifies nature of the problem & suggests possible solutions, evaluates the slns. & chooses best,implement;situa tion is carefully monitored

22. (Con’t) n To ensure initial & continued effectiveness n The nurse does not discard the other slns. But holds them in reserve in the event that the first sln. is not effective.

23. WHAT ARE THE 5 MOST COMMON APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING? n 1. Trial and Error n 2. Intuition n 3. Nursing Process n 4. Scientific method/Research process n 5. Modified Scientific Method

24. WHAT IS INTUITION? n Intuition can be viewed as a form of guessing & therefore inappropriate basis for nursing decisions n In clinical judgment it is acquired through knowledge and experience with similar types of situations n It is not valid for novices or students due to their lack of knowledge & clinical expertise

25. WHAT IS THE NURSING PROCESS? n It is the systematic method of assessing, diagnosing (nsg), planning, implementing & evaluating nursing care n It is the method used by nurses to solve clients’ problems

26. WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD? n Formalized, logical, systematic approach to solving problems n Classic scientific method is most useful when the researcher is working in a controlled situation

27. WHAT ARE THE STEPS (10)of the Scientific Method? n 1. State a research question or problem n 2. Define purpose of or rationale for study n 3. Review the related literature n 4. Formulate hypotheses & define variables n 5. Select plan or method to test hypothesis

28. (Con’t) n 6. Select population, sample & setting n 7. Conduct a pilot study n 8. Collect the data n 9. Analyze the data n 10.Communicate conclusions & implications

29. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONTROLLED SETTING vs CLINICAL PROBLEM SETTING?

30. DIFFERENCES n 1. The nurse’s time frame is often shorter than the researcher’s n 2. The nurse’s environment makes complete scientific control impossible n 3. The nurse deals with multiple, complex problems

31. WHAT IS THE MODIFIED SCIENTIFIC METHOD? n A scientific method that is changed or adjusted to solve health problems n This method is used in nursing and medicine

32. WHAT ARE THE STEPS OF THE MODIFIED SCIENTIFIC METHOD? n 1. Define the problem n 2. Gather the information n 3. Analyze the information n 4. Develop solutions n 5. Make a decision n 6. Implement the decision n 7. Evaluate the solution

33. WHAT IS DECISION MAKING? n It is the process of establishing criteria by which alternative courses of action are developed and selected

34. WHAT ARE THE 3 CONDITIONS IN DECISION MAKING? n 1. Freedom n 2. Rationality n 3. Voluntarity

35. WHAT IS CLINICAL DECISION MAKING COMPOSED OF? n 1. Cue n 2. Hypothesis n 3. Knowledge base n 4. Nursing intervention n 5. Search n 6. Assumption

36. WHAT IS THE 7-STEP DECISION MAKING PROCESS? n 1. Identify the purpose n 2. Set the criteria n 3. Weight the criteria n 4. Seek alternatives n 5. Test alternatives n 6. Troubleshoot n 7. Evaluate the action

37. WHAT IS CREATIVITY? n It is original thinking n It is a major component of critical thinking n It is thinking that results in the development of new ideas & products n Creativity in decision making is the ability to develop & implement new & better solutions

38. WHAT ARE THE 4 STAGES OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS? n 1. Preparation n 2. Incubation n 3. Insight n 4. Verification

39. WHAT ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF CREATIVE THINKERS? n 1. Able to generate ideas rapidly n 2. Flexible and spontaneous n 3. Able to provide original solutions to problems n 4. Preferring complex thought processes n 5. Independent & self-confident n 6. Exhibiting distinct individualism

40. WHAT IS BRAINSTORMING? n It is a creative thinking technique used by groups for eliciting ideas, decisions, or solutions to problems

41. DOES NURSING NECESSARILY REQUIRE USE OF ALL POSSIBILE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS? NO!

42. HOW DO NURSING PROCESS & CT INTERFACE? n Nurses use a variety of critical thinking skills to carry out the nursing process