Ch. 15 (critical Thinking In Nursing Practice)- Key Terms

Question 1

Clinical decision-making

Answer 1

The continuous process characterized by open-mindedness, continual inquiry, and perseverance, combined with the willingness to look at each unique patient situation and determine which identified assumptions are true and relevant

Question 2

Concept map:

Answer 2

Care-planning tool that assists in critical thinking and forming associations between a patient’s nursing diagnosis and interventions

Question 3

Critical thinking:

Answer 3

Active, purposeful, organized, cognitive process used to carefully examine one’s thinking and the thinking of other individuals

Question 4

Diagnostic reasoning:

Answer 4

Process that enables an observer to assign meaning to and classify phenomena and clinical situations by integrating observations in critical thinking

Question 5

Evidence-based knowledge:

Answer 5

Knowledge that is derived from the integration of best research, clinical expertise, and patient values

Question 6

Inference:

Answer 6

(1) judgment or interpretation of informational cues. (2) taking one proposition as a given and guessing that another proposition follows

Question 7

Nursing process:

Answer 7

Systematic problem-solving method by which nurses individualize care for each patient. The five steps of the nursing process our assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation

Question 8

Problem-solving:

Answer 8

Methodical, systematic approach to explore conditions and develop solutions, including analysis of data, determination of positive factors, and selection of appropriate actions to reverse or eliminate the problem

Question 9

Reflection:

Answer 9

Process of thinking back or recalling an event to discover the meaning and purpose of that event. Useful in critical thinking

Question 10

Scientific method:

Answer 10

Codified sequence of steps used in the formulation, testing, evaluation, and reporting a scientific ideas.

• has five steps:
  1. Identifying the problem
  2. Collecting data
  3. Formulating a question or hypothesis
  4. Testing the question or hypothesis
  5. Evaluating results of the test or study