Nursing Chapter 15: Critical Thinking & Clinical Judgment

Clinical Judgment in Nursing Practice

• Nurses must make accurate and appropriate clinical decisions or judgments in their practice.
• Clinical judgment is the observed outcome of critical thinking and decision making, and it separates professional nurses from technicians or other assistive personnel (AP).

A Model for Clinical Judgment

• A model helps to explain complex concepts, such as critical thinking in nursing, which involves many variables in making decisions and clinical judgments about patients.

Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking is the ability to think in a systematic and logical manner with openness to question and reflect on the reasoning process.
• The aim of critical thinking is to focus on the important issues in any clinical situation and make decisions that produce desired patient outcomes.

Critical Thinking Competencies

• General critical thinking competencies include: • Scientific method • Problem solving • Decision making
• Specific critical thinking competencies include: • Diagnostic reasoning • Clinical decision making

Levels of Critical Thinking

• There are three levels of critical thinking: • Basic critical thinking • Complex critical thinking • Commitment

Components of Critical Thinking in the Clinical Judgment Model

• The components of critical thinking in the clinical judgment model include: • Competence • Knowledge base • Experience • Environment

Critical Thinking Attitudes

• Critical thinking attitudes include: • Confidence • Perseverance • Thinking independently • Creativity • Curiosity • Fairness • Responsibility and accountability • Humility and self-awareness • Risk taking • Discipline

Evaluation of Clinical Judgments

• Evaluation of clinical judgments can be done through: • Reflection • Meeting with colleagues • Concept mapping • Critical thinking synthesis

This quiz covers the fundamentals of critical thinking and clinical judgment in nursing practice, including making accurate and appropriate clinical decisions.