Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Analyze the types of thinking used in nursing
- Recognize when to use the different types of thinking in nursing
- Explore the application of knowledge to thinking in nursing
- Appy Critical Thinking Indicators (CTIs) to decision making
Thinking is something we usually do subconsciously, because we are not usually “thinking about thinking.” However, with the ever-increasing autonomy being afforded to nurses, there is also an increased need for nurses to be able to critically think effectively and intentionally. Being able to critically think helps nurses’ problem solve, generate solutions, and make sound clinical judgments that affect the lives of their patients. Keep reading to learn more about how nurses use critical thinking in practice and how you can develop your own critical thinking skills.
Types of Thinking Used in Nursing
Nurses make decisions while providing patient care by using critical thinking and clinical reasoning. In nursing, critical thinking is a broad term that includes reasoning about clinical issues such as teamwork, collaboration, and streamlining workflow.” On the other hand, clinical reasoning is defined as a complex cognitive process that uses formal and informal thinking strategies to gather and analyze patient information, evaluate the significance of this information, and weigh alternative actions. Each of these types of thinking is described in more detail in the following sections.
Cognitive Thinking
The term cognitive thinking refers to the mental processes and abilities a nurse uses to interpret, analyze, and evaluate information in their practice. Basically, it encompasses how nurses think about the practice decisions they are making. Cognitive thinking and critical thinking go hand in hand because nurses must be able to use their knowledge and mental processes to devise solutions and actions when caring for patients. Using critical thinking means that nurses take extra steps to maintain patient safety and do not just follow orders. It also means the accuracy of patient information is validated and plans for caring for patients are based on their needs, current clinical practice, and research. Critical thinkers possess certain attitudes that foster rational thinking:
- confidence: believing in yourself to complete a task or activity
- curiosity: asking “why” and wanting to know more
- fair-mindedness: treating every viewpoint in an unbiased, unprejudiced way
- independence of thought: thinking on your own
- insight into egocentricity and sociocentricity: thinking of the greater good and not just thinking of yourself. Knowing when you are thinking of yourself (egocentricity) and when you are thinking or acting for the greater good (sociocentricity)
- integrity: being honest and demonstrating strong moral principles
- intellectual humility: recognizing your intellectual limitations and abilities
- interest in exploring thoughts and feelings: wanting to explore different ways of knowing
- nonjudgmental: using professional ethical standards and not basing your judgments on your own personal or moral standards
- perseverance: persisting in doing something despite it being difficult
Cognitive thinking is significant to nursing because it provides a foundation on which nurses can make rapid and accurate decisions in clinical practice. Nurses must be able to think quickly and make informed decisions to promote optimal patient outcomes.
Effective Thinking
To make sound judgments about patient care, nurses must generate alternatives, weigh them against the evidence, and choose the best course of action. The ability to clinically reason develops over time and is based on knowledge and experience. Inductive and deductive reasoning are important critical thinking skills. They help the nurse use clinical judgment when implementing the nursing process. Effective thinking in nursing involves the integration of clinical knowledge and critical thinking to make the best decisions for patients. For example, if a nurse was caring for a patient who presents with hypertension and new-onset left-sided weakness, it is important that the nurse be able to quickly consider potential causes for the weakness and implement immediate stroke protocols. Without the ability to critically think, the nurse may overlook the weakness as being unrelated to the hypertension and not consider the possibility of stroke, leading to a poor patient outcome. Thus, it is imperative that nurses develop effective thinking skills.
Inductive Reasoning
The term inductive reasoning involves noticing cues, making generalizations, and creating hypotheses. Cues are data that fall outside of expected findings and give the nurse a hint or indication of a patient’s potential problem or condition. The nurse organizes these cues into patterns and creates a generalization. A generalization is a judgment formed on the basis of a set of facts, cues, and observations and is similar to gathering pieces of a jigsaw puzzle into patterns until the whole picture becomes clearer. On the basis of generalizations created from patterns of data, the nurse creates a hypothesis regarding a patient problem. Remember, a hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a situation. It attempts to explain the “why” behind the problem that is occurring. If a “why” is identified, then a solution can begin to be explored. No one can draw conclusions without first noticing cues. Paying close attention to a patient, the environment, and interactions with family members is critical for inductive reasoning. As you work to improve your inductive reasoning, begin by first noticing details about the things around you. Be mindful of your five primary senses: the things that you hear, feel, smell, taste, and see. Nurses need strong inductive reasoning patterns and be able to act quickly, especially in emergency situations. They can see how certain objects or events form a pattern (or a generalization) that indicates a common problem.
Consider this example: A nurse assesses a patient who has undergone surgery and finds the surgical incision site is red, warm, and tender to the touch. The nurse recognizes these cues form a pattern of signs of infection and creates a hypothesis that the incision has become infected. The provider is notified of the patient’s change in condition, and a new prescription is received for an antibiotic. This is an example of the use of inductive reasoning in nursing practice.
Deductive Reasoning
Another type of critical thinking is deductive reasoning; it is referred to as “top-down thinking.” Deductive reasoning relies on using a general standard or rule to create a strategy. Nurses use standards set by their state’s Nurse Practice Act, federal regulations, the American Nursing Association, professional organizations, and their employer to make decisions about patient care and solve problems.
Think about this example: On the basis of research findings, hospital leaders determine patients recover more quickly if they receive adequate rest. The hospital creates a policy for quiet zones at night by initiating no overhead paging, promoting low-speaking voices by staff, and reducing lighting in the hallways. The nurse further implements this policy by organizing care for patients that promotes periods of uninterrupted rest at night. This is an example of deductive thinking, because the intervention is applied to all patients regardless of whether they have difficulty sleeping or not.
Identify the Purpose of Thinking
Rationalizing the purpose of thinking is probably not something you do often, but it is the foundational first step in critical thinking. To effectively use critical thinking in practice, the nurse must first identify the purpose of thinking. For example, the nurse is caring for a patient who presents with fever, tachycardia, and shortness of breath. The patient also has an open, infected wound on the left foot that is not healing. The nurse must recognize that the patient is exhibiting signs and symptoms that may be indicative of an underlying problem. At this point, the nurse must be able to identify that the purpose of thinking with regard to the patient is to consider what might be happening with the patient and formulate a plan of care. This begins the process of critical thinking, which involves several steps: thinking ahead, thinking in action, and reflection on thinking.
Thinking Ahead
Thinking ahead in nursing involves considering what may be going on with the patient to anticipate potential outcomes and complications that may arise. Remember competent nurses are proactive versus reactive. Reactive nursing is letting situations arise and then responding to the change, but proactive nursing is recognizing cues behaviors and patterns that are leading up to a complicated event. Additionally, the nurse will formulate goals of care and must try to anticipate specific needs the patient will have. Considering the patient discussed in the preceding paragraph, the nurse should begin the process of thinking ahead about potential outcomes and complications. The nurse may hypothesize that the patient is starting to develop sepsis from the open wound on the foot so severe sepsis and/or septic shock could be a complication to begin preparing for. The nurse thinks ahead about goals of care for the patient and determines that wound care to prevent infection spread and sepsis is the priority goal at this time.
Thinking in Action
Thinking in action encompasses the thought processes occurring while the nurse is performing interventions. So, if the nurse in our example begins performing wound care, they are thinking about the best dressing to use, how to clean the wound, and if antibiotics should be considered. All of these thoughts are likely occurring as the nurse is providing the care; thus, they are examples of how the nurse is using thinking in action.
Reflection on Thinking
After performing interventions or making decisions, the nurse should reflect on the thinking that occurred. The nurse will use this thinking process to determine if the decision was reactive or responsive. Reactive decision-making involves responding to situations after they have occurred, often in a hurried or unplanned manner. These decisions tend to be impulsive and are driven by immediate needs or crises. Responsive decisions, on the other hand, involve careful deliberation about how to address a situation based on careful consideration of information. In our example, the nurse’s decision appears to have been responsive. The patient was exhibiting some altered vital signs, but nothing indicated that the situation had become emergent yet. The nurse was able to think carefully about the patient’s situation and determine that wound care was the highest priority and begin to implement care in a calm, deliberate manner. In an ideal world, all nursing decisions would be responsive, but in a lot of cases, they must be reactive because of situation severity and medical emergencies.
Application of Knowledge
During the outset of the critical thinking process, nurses must judge whether their knowledge is accurate, complete, factual, timely, and relevant. This can be done by applying knowledge to nursing practice in a multitude of ways, including drawing from past education and experience in nursing and using professional resources and standards. Each of these is discussed in more detail in the following sections.
Knowledge Base
Becoming a nurse requires years of schooling, which contributes to the development of a robust knowledge base. Nurses receive formal education and training that provides them foundational knowledge in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and patient care techniques, among many others. Additionally, nurses are required to complete continuing education courses specific to their chosen practice setting, further developing their knowledge base. When applying knowledge in practice, nurses can draw from their knowledge base and make informed decisions about patient care.
Experience in Nursing
Nursing is considered a practice. Nursing practice means we learn from our mistakes and our past experiences and apply this knowledge to our next patient or to the next population we serve. As nurses gain more experience, they can use what they have learned in practice and apply it to new patient situations. Each new encounter with a patient presents unique challenge and learning opportunities that contribute to the development of clinical expertise. Reflecting on these experiences allows nurses to recognize patterns, anticipate patient outcomes, and refine their decision-making processes. Whether they are identifying effective nursing interventions for common conditions, adapting care plans to individual patient needs, or navigating complex situations with compassion, nurses draw upon their accumulated knowledge base from clinical experience to provide high-quality, patient-centered care. Through reflection and continuous learning from past experiences, nurses enhance their clinical skills, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Professional Resources and Standards
In addition to foundational knowledge bases and experience, nurses can also use professional resources and standards to gain and apply knowledge in practice. Nurses can refer to clinical practice guidelines that have been established by professional organizations and healthcare institutions to help provide a framework for implementing nursing interventions based on the best evidence. By following the guidelines, nurses are ensuring that their care aligns with established standards and promotes optimal patient outcomes. Additionally, nurses should remain up to date about new and emerging research in their practice area, which can be obtained by reading professional journals and publications and attending conferences, workshops, and other trainings. Nurses can use the information learned from these resources to influence practice and ensure the highest standards of care are being performed in their practice setting. By staying informed about the latest developments in nursing and health care, nurses enhance their knowledge base and can adapt their practice to incorporate new evidence and innovations. Along with professional development and staying current with professional practices, nursing students should actively seek and join professional organizations such as critical care nursing or oncology nursing societies because this will lead the student to become expert in that subject and stay relevant with current evidence and practice guidelines.
Clinical Safety and Procedures (QSEN)
QSEN Competency: Evidence-Based Practice
Definition: Providing quality patient care based on up-to-date, theory-derived research and knowledge, rather than personal beliefs, advice, or traditional methods.
Knowledge: The nurse will describe how the strength and relevance of available evidence influences the choice of intervention in provision of patient-centered care.
Skill: The nurse will:
- subscribe to professional journals that produce original research and evidence-based reports related to their specific area of practice
- become familiar with current evidence-based clinical practice topics and guidelines
- assist in creating a work environment that welcomes new evidence into standards of practice
- question the rational for traditional methods of care that result in sub-par outcomes or adverse events
Attitude: The nurse will appreciate the importance of regularly reading relevant professional journals.
Critique of Decision
After determining the best course of action based on the application of knowledge, the nurse can critique the decisions that were made. Specifically, the nurse will use self-reflection to review their actions and thoughts that led them to the decision. The nurse will consider the outcomes of their chosen interventions, reflect on the effectiveness of their approach, and identify areas of improvement. Additionally, the nurse may seek feedback from colleagues to obtain different perspectives about decisions made. Soliciting input from others helps the nurse gain insight and learn from their peers to further inform their future practice. Reflection questions that the nurse may ask themselves to critique their decision include the following:
- Was the patient goal or outcome met?
- Could the intervention have been done differently? Could it have been done better?
- What are alternative decisions that could have been made? What are the merits of each?
Critical Thinking Indicators
Certain behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote critical thinking are called critical thinking indicators (CTIs). Critical thinking indicators are tangible actions that are performed to assess and improve your thinking skills.
4-Circle CT Model
There are many models and frameworks within nursing and other disciplines that attempt to explain the process of critical thinking. One of the most popular is Alfaro-LeFevre’s 4-Circle CT Model (Alfaro-LeFevre, 2016). This model breaks critical thinking into four components: personal characteristics, intellectual and cognitive abilities, interpersonal abilities and self-management, and technical skills. These four components overlap, forming interconnections in critical thinking.
Link to Learning
Learn more here about the 4-Circle CT Model and see an illustration of it.
Personal Critical Thinking Indicators
Personal CTIs are behaviors that are indicative of critical thinkers. Some of these behaviors that are most relevant to nursing include:
- confidence and resilience: showing ability to reason and learn and overcoming problems
- curiosity and inquisitiveness: asking questions and looking for the “why” behind things
- effective communication: listening well, showing understanding for others thoughts and feelings, and speaking and writing with clarity
- flexibility: changing approaches as needed to obtain the best results
- honesty: looking for the truth and demonstrating integrity while adhering to moral and ethical standards
- self-awareness: being able to identify one’s own knowledge gaps and acknowledge when thinking may be negatively influenced by emotions or self-interests.
Personal Knowledge and Intellectual Skills
Personal knowledge and intellectual skills encompass the knowledge gained from nursing school and clinical experiences. Examples of each of these kinds of skills are listed in Table 28.3.
| Personal Knowledge | Intellectual Skills |
|---|---|
|
|
Interpersonal and Self-Management Skills
Interpersonal and self-management skills encompass the knowledge and skills needed for effective collaboration. These include:
- addressing conflicts fairly
- advocating for patients, self, and others
- dealing with complaints constructively
- establishing empowered partnerships
- facilitating and navigating change
- fostering positive interpersonal relationships and promoting teamwork
- giving and taking constructive criticism
- leading, motivating, and managing others
- managing stress, time, and energy
- promoting a learning and safety culture
- upholding healthy workplace standards
- using skilled communication in high-stake situations
Technical Skills
Technical skills in nursing refer to the practical abilities and competencies that nurses use in the delivery of patient care. These skills are typically learned through education, training, and hands-on experience. Some common technical skills in nursing include:
- administering medications
- assisting with personal hygiene and activities of daily living
- documentation and charting
- inserting intravenous catheters
- inserting urinary catheters and nasogastric tubes
- performing tracheostomy care
- performing wound care
- taking vital signs