Critical thinking is a cognitive process with several attributes. The attributes of critical thinking include the following:
In addition, there are three main methods for developing critical thinking. Reflective journaling involves actively reflecting on or recalling an experience to understand its purpose or significance. Meeting with colleagues regularly to discuss and examine work experiences can enable critical thinking. Concept mapping visually highlights the relationship between the patient's problems and interventions.
Critical thinking competencies are the cognitive processes that a nurse applies to make judgments regarding the clinical care of patients—these can be either general or specific.
There are three main general critical thinking processes: problem-solving, decision-making, and the scientific method.
Problem-solving is the act of responding to a challenging situation and finding a solution.
For example, a nurse takes action to assist an asthmatic patient experiencing breathing difficulties.
Decision-making is an intentional and focused attempt involving decisions that aim to select the best resolution to the issue.
For example, a nurse puts up the side rails for a patient who has just experienced an episode of seizures.
The scientific method is a multi-step process of formulating and performing experiments to gather data and solve problems systematically.
Specific critical thinking processes include diagnostic reasoning and inferences, and clinical decision-making.
Diagnostic reasoning is the dynamic thinking process for determining clinical evidence of a patient's health, while inferences are the conclusions drawn from the related evidence.
Nurses engage in clinical decision-making by recognizing the patient's problem and selecting the nursing intervention accordingly.
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