This document discusses critical thinking in nursing. It defines critical thinking as the ability to think systematically and logically while questioning assumptions. Critical thinking involves gathering data, focusing on key issues, organizing information, analyzing situations, generating potential solutions, integrating different perspectives, and evaluating outcomes. The document provides examples of how critical thinking is used in nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and clinical decision making. It emphasizes the importance of critical thinking for safe nursing practice.

1. Critical Thinking In
Nursing

2.  What is critical
thinking?
 “In nursing, critical thinking 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” (Heaslip,
1993).

3. Nursing Diagnosis
 Interpretation of the data for
problem identification
 analysis of assessment data to
determine the client’s actual
and potential health
problems by the RN.

4.  Planning
 Reflective and reasonable
thinking that focused on
deciding what to belience or do
 development of a plan of action
to reduce, resolve, or prevent
potential problems, establish
priorities, formulating
goals/expected outcomes by the
RN, and planning nursing
actions while documenting the
nursing care plan.

5.  Implementation
 Putting plan in to action
 The delivery of nursing
care, performing the
planned nursing
interventions while
continuing to collect data
about the client

6. Skills used in
Critical
Thinking
 Information gathering
 Focusing
 Remembering
 Organizing
 Analyzing
 Generating
 Integrating
 evaluating

7. What are some
examples of
Critical
thinking?
 What decision did you
make today that
involved critical
thinking?
 How did you decide to
make that decision?
 Did you evaluate the
outcome of your
decision?

8. Nursing
assistant
approaches the
nurse and says a
patient’s Blood
Pressure is
84/58.
 What is the first thing you
would do?
 Using the SBAR, what would
you report to the doctor?
 What aspects would you re-
evaluate?

9.  Pt. complains of
being short of
breath and having
pain in mid-chest
area
 What is the first thing
you would ask this
patient
 How would you
determine the difference
between indigestion or
Heart Attack?
 Using SBAR, what
would you report to the
doctor?

10. What is your opinion
of using good critical
thinking skills?
 Give a scenario using
critical thinking.
 How do you measure
your critical thinking?
 What can a person do to
improve how they use
critical thinking?

11. When you
encountered a
problem, do not jump
in quickly to ask
others for answers
without figuring it out
yourself.
After understanding
the
situation, information
gathered must be
verified for accuracy
so that informed
decision can be made

12. "I cannot teach
anybody anything, I
can only make them
think."
- Socrates, Greek
philosopher
(469-399 BCE)