Thinking critically about clinical care
Critical thinking in the health workplace is essential to the delivery of safe, effective patient care. Critical thinking is a purposeful, analytic process that results in reasoned decisions and judgments. It is an essential component of nursing since a nurse is often confronted with complex situations which demand accurate judgments and competent decision-making. Thus, critical thinking involves a well conscientious thinking process where judgments and clinical decisions are based on reasoning, evidence, critique and the examination of one’s own thoughts to help strengthen thinking skills and reach better outcomes.
In health care there are many different situations which will require the application of critical thinking strategies, however basic principles include:
- collecting information to consider as many relevant factors as possible
- validating the information presented to make sure that it is accurate and that it is based on fact and evidence
- analysing the information to determine what it means and to see whether it forms clusters or patterns that point to certain conclusions
- drawing on past clinical experience and knowledge to explain what is happening and to anticipate what might happen next
- identifying possible solutions/strategies and examining each in terms of its advantages and disadvantages, evidence base etc..
- choosing the best solution, implementing the solution and evaluating the outcomes.
Critical thinking is a learned skill which takes commitment and practice. However, critical thinking skills are valuable skills for everyday life as well as professional practice. So, don’t just acquire the skills. Value them and get into the habit of using the skills whenever appropriate - in short, become a critical thinker!
Thinking Critically (Video 27)
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Thinking points |
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For Students |
Use this video as a trigger for group discussion and/or personal reflection on the process of thinking critically about clinical care. As you watch the video some key points to think about are:
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For clinical staff |
Use this video as a trigger for discussion with your colleagues and/or personal reflection on the process of helping students develop their critical thinking skills for care delivery in the health workplace. Key points to reflect on include:
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