CRITICAL THINKING

OBJECTIVES

 1. Discuss critical thinking and problem

solving.
 2. Describe importance of critical
thinking for nurses.
PRETEST

 1. Define the word critical.

 2. Identify one way in which nurses use
critical thinking in their practice.
 3. How many problem-solving methods
exist?
 4. What is at least 1 characteristic of
critical thinking?
 5. Define decision making.
Con’t

 4. Rational & reflective, involves

healthy, constructive skepticism, is
autonomous, includes creative thinking,
is fair thinking, focuses on what to
believe & do.
 5. The process of establishing criteria
by which alternative courses of action
are developed & selected.
ANSWERS

 1. Requiring careful judgement.

 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.
 3. Five.
 .
WHY IS CRITICAL THINKING
IMPORTANT?
 1.Critical thinking is the key to resolving
problems.
 2. Nurses must make complex
decisions, adapt to new situations &
continuously update their knowledge &
skills. Critical thinking is integral to all of
these
 3. Critical thinking will be essential to
pass the NCLEX.
(Con’t)

 4. National League for Nursing (NLN)

accredited programs must include
content designed to develop critical
thinking skills.
WHAT IS CRITICAL
THINKING?
 Critical thinking is the rational
examination of ideas, inferences,
assumptions, principles, arguments,
conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs
& actions.
WHAT IS CRITICAL
THINKING IN NURSING?
 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
WHAT WOULD BE A
SYNONYM FOR CRITICAL
THINKING?
 Reasoning which is a highly
individualized, complex activity that
involves distinct ideas, emotions &
perceptions.
WHAT ARE THE (2)TYPES OF
REASONING?
 Inductive reasoning= generalizations
are formed from a set of facts or
observations.
 Deductive reasoning= reasoning from
the general to the specific.
WHAT DOES CRITICAL
MEAN?
 Critical means requiring careful
judgment.
 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
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
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.
WHAT ARE ATTITUDES OF
CRITICAL THINKERS?
 They are:
 1. Active thinkers.
 2. Knowledgeable of their biases &
limitations.
 3. Fair-minded.
 4. Willing to exert a conscious effort to
work in a planful manner.
(Con’t)

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

 17. Team players.

 18. Creative & committed to
excellence.
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. Apply
questions only prn.
ARE CRITICAL THINKING &
PROBLEM SOLVING THE
SAME?
 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.
WHAT IS PROBLEM
SOLVING?
 Process used when  Nurse obtains info.
a gap is perceived that clarifies nature
between an existing of the problem &
state (what is suggests possible
occurring)& a solutions, evaluates
desired state of the slns. & chooses
what should be best,implement;situa
occurring. tion is carefully
monitored
(Con’t)

 To ensure initial & continued

effectiveness
 The nurse does not discard the other
slns. But holds them in reserve in the
event that the first sln. is not effective.
WHAT ARE THE 5 MOST
COMMON APPROACHES TO
PROBLEM SOLVING?
 1. Trial and Error
 2. Intuition
 3. Nursing Process
 4. Scientific method/Research process
 5. Modified Scientific Method
WHAT IS INTUITION?

 Intuition can be viewed as a form of

guessing & therefore inappropriate
basis for nursing decisions
 In clinical judgment it is acquired
through knowledge and experience with
similar types of situations
 It is not valid for novices or students due
to their lack of knowledge & clinical
expertise
WHAT IS THE NURSING
PROCESS?
 It is the systematic method of
assessing, diagnosing (nsg), planning,
implementing & evaluating nursing care
 It is the method used by nurses to solve
clients’ problems
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD?
 Formalized, logical, systematic
approach to solving problems
 Classic scientific method is most useful
when the researcher is working in a
controlled situation
WHAT ARE THE STEPS (10)of
the Scientific Method?
 1. State a research question or problem
 2. Define purpose of or rationale for
study
 3. Review the related literature
 4. Formulate hypotheses & define
variables
 5. Select plan or method to test
hypothesis
(Con’t)

 6. Select population, sample & setting

 7. Conduct a pilot study
 8. Collect the data
 9. Analyze the data
 10.Communicate conclusions &
implications
WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
CONTROLLED SETTING vs
CLINICAL PROBLEM
SETTING?
DIFFERENCES

 1. The nurse’s time frame is often

shorter than the researcher’s
 2. The nurse’s environment makes
complete scientific control impossible
 3. The nurse deals with multiple,
complex problems
WHAT IS THE MODIFIED
SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
 A scientific method that is changed or
adjusted to solve health problems
 This method is used in nursing and
medicine
WHAT ARE THE STEPS OF
THE MODIFIED SCIENTIFIC
METHOD?
 1. Define the problem
 2. Gather the information
 3. Analyze the information
 4. Develop solutions
 5. Make a decision
 6. Implement the decision
 7. Evaluate the solution
WHAT IS DECISION
MAKING?
 It is the process of establishing criteria
by which alternative courses of action
are developed and selected
WHAT ARE THE 3
CONDITIONS IN DECISION
MAKING?
 1. Freedom
 2. Rationality
 3. Voluntarity
WHAT IS CLINICAL
DECISION MAKING
COMPOSED OF?
 1. Cue
 2. Hypothesis
 3. Knowledge base
 4. Nursing intervention
 5. Search
 6. Assumption
WHAT IS THE 7-STEP
DECISION MAKING
PROCESS?
 1. Identify the purpose
 2. Set the criteria
 3. Weight the criteria
 4. Seek alternatives
 5. Test alternatives
 6. Troubleshoot
 7. Evaluate the action
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
WHAT ARE THE 4 STAGES
OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS?
 1. Preparation
 2. Incubation
 3. Insight
 4. Verification
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
WHAT IS BRAINSTORMING?

 It is a creative thinking technique used

by groups for eliciting ideas, decisions,
or solutions to problems
DOES NURSING
NECESSARILY REQUIRE USE
OF ALL POSSIBILE CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS?

NO!
HOW DO NURSING PROCESS
& CT INTERFACE?
 Nurses use a variety of critical thinking
skills to carry out the nursing process