Fundamentals

1. CRITICAL THINKING

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

3. Overview
Critical: Requiring careful judgement.
How do nurses use critical thinking in their
practice?
To problem solve & make decisions, to make
reliable observations, draw sound
conclusions, create new information & ideas,
evaluate lines of reasoning & improve their
self-knowledge.

4. Overview
Decision Making
The process of establishing criteria by
which alternative courses of action are
developed & selected.

5. Critical Thinking
 Critical thinking is the rational
examination of ideas, inferences,
assumptions, principles, arguments,
conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs
& actions.

6. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is
 “The ability to focus your thinking to get
the results you need”
 The term “Critical Thinking” is used in
many different ways.

7. Critical Thinking
 The definition above provides you with
two key factors in critical thinking:
-Focus
-Results
 If you focus on getting the results you
need, you are successfully using critical
thinking.

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

9. WHY IS CRITICAL THINKING
IMPORTANT TO NURSES?
 1.Critical thinking is the key to resolving
problems.
 2. Nurses must make complex
decisions, adapt to new situations &
continuously update their knowledge &
skills.
 3. Critical thinking will be essential to
pass the NCK Exam.

10. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THINKING &
CRITICAL THINKING?
(CONTROL)
 Critical thinking is controlled, purposeful
& more likely to lead to obvious
beneficial results
 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

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

12. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
CRITICAL THINKERS?
They are:
 1. Active thinkers.
 2. Knowledgeable of their biases &
limitations.
 3. Fair-minded.
 4. Conscious

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

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

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

16. DOES CRITICAL THINKING
INVOLVE CRITICAL
ANALYSIS?
 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.

17. CRITICAL THINKING &
PROBLEM SOLVING
 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.

18. WHAT IS PROBLEM
SOLVING?
 Process used when
a gap is perceived
between an existing
state (what is
occurring)& a
desired state of
what should be
occurring.
 Nurse obtains info.
that clarifies nature
of the problem &
suggests possible
solutions, evaluates
the solutions

19. (Con’t)
 To ensure initial & continued
effectiveness
 The nurse does not discard the other
solutions.
 But holds them in reserve in the event
that the first solutuon is not effective.

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

21. WHAT ARE THE 3
CONDITIONS IN DECISION
MAKING?
 1. Freedom
 2. Rationality
 3. Voluntarily

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

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

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

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

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