1. Critical Thinking and Nursing Practice

2. Definition of Critical Thinking
It means reflective reasoning that guides a
Nurse in generating approaches to manage nursing care issues

3. Skills required in Critical Thinking
1- Critical Analysis
2- Inductive reasoning
3- Deductive reasoning
4- Making valid inferences

4. Skills required in Critical Thinking
5- Differentiating facts from opinions
6- Evaluating the credibility of information sources
7- Clarifying concepts
8- recognizing assumptions

5. Definition of Critical Analysis
Application of set of questions to a particular situation , to determine essential information, while discarding unnecessary data.

6. Definition of Inductive Reasoning
Moving from specific examples to a general conclusion
E.g., having signs of dehydration would
Most probably indicate dehydration

7. Definition of deductive reasoning
Withdrawing specific conclusions from general premises
E.g. Having systematic infection implies that fever most probably exists

8. Definition of problem solving
Clarifying a problem by gaining more information about its nature in order to suggest possible answers and solutions

9. Definition of decision making
Is a critical thinking process in order to choose the best actions to meet a desired goal.

10. When do we really need to make a decision as nurses?
When there are several available mutually exclusive choices
Or when we need to decide whether we should act or not at all

11. Examples of areas where nurses makes decisions
1- Time management
2- value issues e.g. Confidentiality
3-priority
4- scheduling care activities
Besides:
Nurses help clients through treatment choosing decisions by delivering sources of information