Ch.8
11. Which statement best defines the difference between problem solving and decision making? a. Decision making skills require critical thinking; problem-solving skills do not. b. Problem-solving skills require critical thinking; decision-making skills do not. c. Decision making is a goal-directed effort; problem solving is focused on solving an immediate problem. d. Problem solving is a goal-directed effort; decision making is focused on solving an immediate problem.
C
15. From the information supplied in this chapter, which statements best defines critical thinking? a. Critical thinking is a high-level cognitive process. b. Critical thinking is a process that helps develop reflective criticism for the purpose of reaching a conclusion. c. Critical thinking is an orderly approach to considering problems, through the use of knowledge of methods of logical inquiry and reasoning skills. d. Critical thinking is a discussion that guides all aspects of the nursing process.
C
18. Which of the following is an intuitive decision-making model? a. Fishbone model. b. SWOT model. c. Clinical judgement model. d. Bounded rationality model.
C
21. Decisions are most likely to be of high quality in nursing situations when: a. Team leaders make the crucial decisions. b. Individuals are advised of the problems. c. Group size is neither too small nor too large. d. Members are passively involved.
C
13. The maintenance department wishes to have the nursing lounge renovated so that the lounge will be more "user-friendly." The department asks the nursing staff to make a wish list of everything that they would like to see in the new lounge. This process is an example of which part of the decision-making process? a. Assessment/data collection. b. Planning. c. Data interpretation. d. Generating hypotheses.
A
14. A good nursing decision maker is one who: a. Uses various models to guide the process on the basis of the circumstances of the situation. b. Adopts one model and uses it to guide all decision making. c. Decides not to use any models because they are all useless. d. Develops a new model each time a decision has to be made.
A
2. The nurse manager of a rehabilitation unit wants to purchase a new antiembolic stocking. To make a high-quality decision, the nurse manager would: a. Involve the rehabilitation staff in the decision. b. Involve the sales representative. c. Make the decision alone. d. Involve administration in the decision.
A
22. Knowing when to have the entire team participate in the decision-making process or when to have only the team leader make the decisions depends on the situation and the desired outcomes. Which situation would warrant individual decision making? a. The task and the outcome are relatively simple. b. It is unlikely that the group will reach a consensus. c. A decision has to be discussed thoroughly. d. A number of options need to be considered.
A
25. The two elements essential to solving any problem are: a. Problem analysis and decision making. b. Strategy and rationality. c. Operational and strategic. d. Tactical and strategic.
A
9. The risk manager wants to evaluate the reasons for an increased number of falls on the rehabilitation unit. The risk manager devises a fishbone diagram. A fishbone diagram is a useful tool to: a. Identify the root causes of problems. b. List possible solutions to problems. c. Help leaders select the best options. d. Evaluate the outcomes of decisions made.
A
1. Many factors affect decision-making such as bias. Which of the following reflect bias? (Select all that apply.) a. Past experiences. b. Personal attributes. c. Creativity. d. Intuition.
A, B
2. In a busy rehabilitation unit, the team manager decided that the best way to reward the staff was to give them a monetary bonus rather than time off. The staff was very concerned about the decision and went to the administration with a number of complaints. Critical thinking is a process that entails a number of steps. What steps did the manager omit? (Select all that apply.) a. Identifying the assumptions that were underpinning the issues. b. Considering the context of the current problem or situation. c. Gathering data and evaluating all possible outcomes before making her decision. d. Attaining a majority consensus of all staff.
A, B, C
10. An outpatient surgery manager is evaluating infusion pumps for the operating room. The manager should: a. Select the least expensive brand. b. Use a decision-making tool to evaluate brands. c. Ask the nursing staff which brand they prefer. d. Select the vendor from which the institution usually buys.
B
16. Decision making is described by the nursing educator as the process that a person uses to a. Solve a problem. b. Choose between alternatives. c. Reflect on a certain situation. d. Generate ideas.
B
20. One of three managers at a research laboratory drafted a policy that would allow his department to do more testing in his laboratory. This policy included the times for regular collection in addition to a new process for emergency laboratory testing. The policy and procedures were never followed. The reason was that: a. The policy was too lengthy and inundated readers with too much detail. b. The policy made decisions for other departments in the company. c. The staff did not believe that the new policy would be effective. d. Testing should not be done in the laboratory.
B
4. During a fire drill several psychiatric patients become agitated. The nurse manager quickly assigns a staff member to each patient. This decision style is most appropriate for: a. Routine problems. b. Crisis situations. c. Managers who prefer an authoritarian style. d. Followers who cannot agree on a solution.
B
24. With regard to decision making, critical thinking, and problem solving, which of the following statements are accurate and valid points? a. The professional decision maker approaches problem solving by beginning with an outcome already in mind. b. Involvement in decision making is of little use unless you are an expert decision-maker. c. Many models aid the nurse in improving his or her decision-making skills. d. The nursing decision-maker who is successful recognizes that only those with similar experiences should be involved in decision making.
C
27. Which decision-making model is based on the use of intuition when making a decision? a. Bounded rationality. b. Fishbone diagram. c. Clinical judgement model. d. Rational decision-making model.
C
3. Several nurses on an adolescent psychiatric unit complain that the teenagers are becoming unmanageable on the shift from 2300 to 0700 hours. To resolve this problem, the nurse manager decides that the staff should have a brainstorming session. The goal of brainstorming is to: a. Evaluate problem solutions. b. Critique the ideas of other staff members. c. Generate as many solutions as possible. d. Identify only practical and realistic ideas.
C
6. To solve a problem, the nurse manager understands that the most important problem-solving step is: a. The implementation phase. b. Identification of numerous solutions. c. Accurate identification of the problem. d. Evaluation of the effectiveness of problem resolution.
C
8. The clinic nurse understands that problem solving is best defined as a. A higher order thinking process. b. Selecting the best option for reaching a predefined goal. c. Identifying "what is" and "what should be." d. Determining creative approaches to resolving a problem or issue.
C
1. The risk manager informs the nurse manager of an orthopedic unit that her unit has had an increase in incident reports about patients falling during the shift from 2300 to 0700 hours. The nurse manager knows that the best way to resolve the problem is to: a. Use creativity. b. Obtain support from staff of the shift from 0700 to 1500 hours. c. Use institutional research. d. Identify the problem.
D
12. Silvana, a nurse manager, has a staff nurse who has been absent a great deal for the past 3 months. A coworker gives some information to Silvana indicating that the staff nurse will be resigning and returning to school. Because of this Silvana decides to do which of the following? a. Immediately fire the staff nurse. b. Speak to the coworker and elicit more information. c. Speak to the staff nurse and ask her to resign. d. Do nothing.
D
17. Justin is a nurse manager in a rehabilitation unit in a small urban centre. There is a high turnover rate among rehabilitation assistants because of the heavy work assignments. Justin decides to hire new staff in the order that applications are received until all vacant positions are filled. Which of the following decisions did Justin make? a. Subjective. b. Objective. c. Optimizing. d. Satisficing.
D
19. When confronted with the controversy and the apparent poor morale of the evening staff, the unit manager decided the staff needed to take some time off. He scheduled holidays for the staff without consulting them. A couple of the staff nurses approached the manager and indicated that the problem was not scheduling, but rather the team leader and her patient assignments. What was the unit manager's first missed step in problem solving? a. Not using a problem-solving model. b. Not considering a number of alternatives. c. Poor evaluation of outcomes. d. Incorrect problem identification.
D
23. Marcella, an experienced head nurse, is given the task of completing the summer vacation schedule for the pediatric unit. She is fully aware of the hospital's restrictions on time off and the number of staff on vacation at any given time, in addition to its issues regarding seniority. She weighs the options of allowing staff choice, such as it takes more time but gives employees options. However, if choice is allowed, this could cause arguments. Which of the following is the best alternative? a. Ask for requests for vacation time in advance, and post the times. b. Post the completed vacation schedule. c. Post a tentative schedule, and request feedback. d. Post a blank schedule, and ask staff members to fill in their times by a given date.
D
26. A decision making model based on a rational and logical approach to problem solving is termed: a. Nursing process. b. Ethical decision making. c. Creative decision making. d. Scientific decision making.
D
28. An efficient and useful technique for controlling negative group behaviours is: a. Six thinking hats. b. SWOT analysis. c. SOAR analysis. d. Nominal group technique.
D
5. After the nurses who work on an adolescent psychiatric unit have had a brainstorming session, they are ready to resolve the problem of teenagers who are unmanageable. To maximize group effectiveness in decision making and problem solving, the nurse manager has: a. Prevented conflict. b. Formed highly cohesive groups. c. Used majority rule to arrive at decisions. d. Encouraged equal participation among members.
D
7. A clinic nurse has observed another nurse deviating from agency policy in performing wound care. The best approach for the clinic nurse to take is to: a. Stay out of it. b. Inform the nursing supervisor. c. Fill out a notification form (incident report). d. Assess the risk to the client and the agency before proceeding.
D
