Chapter 4 - The Nursing Process and Critical Thinking

Which is the best way to demonstrate critical thinking to your clinical instructor who has just asked you about your patient? 1. Pausing and thinking before answering the question 2. ANswering her as quickly as possible, ideally before she finishes the question 3. Stating the first thought that "pops" into your head 4. Avoiding the question, since she will probably ask someone else

1

Priorities of care change constantly because: 1. The nurse's workload may change as patients are admitted 2. Physicians' orders may change throughout the shift 3. A patient's condition may deteriorate 4. Tests of therapies may not be done on time 5. Many visisters are in the rooms

1, 2, 3, 4

Attributes of critical thinkers include: 1. Setting priorities 2. Consulting physicians 3. Verifying accuracy and reliability of data 4. Reasoning logically 5. Accepting others' decisions 6. Being flexible 7. Recognizing inconsistencies in data gathered

1, 3, 4, 6, 7

What are the 5 steps of the problem-solving process in critical thinking?

1. Define the problem clearly 2. Consider all possible alternatives as solutions for the problem 3. Consider the possible outcomes for each alternative 4. Predict the likelihood of each outcome occuring 5. Choose the alternative with the best chance of success that has the fewest undesirable outcomes

When was the nursing process developed?

1950s to describe the independent role of the nurse in providing patient care

Critical thinking will help you in the clinical setting to: 1. Delegate work efficiently 2. Make good decisions most of the time 3. Identify nursing diagnoses 4. Write care plans more effectively

2

Critical thinking: 1. Is optional for the LPN/LVN 2. Only occurs in the clinical setting 3. Is incorporated throughout the nursing process 4. Is independent of data collection

3

The planning phase of the nursing process correlates with which step of the scientific method? 1. Brainstorming 2. Data Analysis 3. Developing solutions 4. Implementation of the decision

3

Which is an example of clinical judgement? 1. Weighing the pros and cons of which school to send your child to 2. Deciding which nursing midterm examination to study for first 3. Prioritzing which call light to answer first 4. ANswering the physician's question in a diplomatic manner

3

Clinical reasoning is necessary to: 1. Plan nursing care 2. Organize care for several patients 3. Collaborate with others 4. Draw sound conclusions from assessment data

4

Which of the following is an example of a nurse's statement that reflects using the scientific method in the nursing process? 1. "I believe that this patient is getting depressed" 2. "The patient doesn't look right to me; I think something is wrong" 3. "The patient's husband told me that she is feeling very uncomfortable" 4. "The patient reports more pain than yesterday and her blood pressure is elevated"

4; The nurse identified a problem of pain, hypothesized that it was greater than the day before, and collected data to evaluate its reality. Believing the patient is depressed or thinking something is wrong reflects intuition. Speaking with the husband reflects information-gathering, which may be used in diagnostic reasoning.

What does the planning phase of the nursing process involve?

A series of steps that the nurse and patient set priorities and goals to so that problems can be eliminated. The nurse and patient collaborate and choose specific interventions for each nursing diagnosis

Define scientific method.

A step-by-step process used my scientists to solve problems

Define nursing process.

A way of thinking and acting based on scientific method

What does the evaluation phase of the nursing process involve?

Assessing the patient's response to the nursing interventions; the responses are compared with the expected outcomes to determine if they have been achieved

What are the 5 main components of the nursing process?

Assessment (Data Collection), Nursing Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

What does the nursing diagnosis phase of the nursing process involve?

Assessment data is sorted and analyzed so that the actual potential health problems are identified

What is an example of a nursing diagnosis?

Bed bound patient Nrsg DX: Risk for impaired skin integrity secondary to impaired physical mobility

What does the implementation phase of the nursing process involve?

Carrying out the nursing interventions

What is critical thinking called in the clinical setting?

Clinical reasoning

What does the assessment, or data collection, phase of the nursing process involve?

Collecting, organizing, documenting, and validating data about a patient's health status

What are the functions of the nursing process?

Develop a care plan for the patient with ideally, patient input

What is critical thinking?

Directed, purposeful, mental activity by which you evaluate ideas, construct plans, and determine outcomes

How often should a nurse evaluate and reprioritize their work plan?

Every 2 hrs

What does concept mapping help with?

Helps you to see relationships between concepts

Input from the ______________ during the planning stage of the nursing process results in greater success

Patient

What are foundation skills?

Skills like effective reading, effective writing, attentive listening, and effective communicating

What type of nurse is responsible for initiating nursing care plans and which type of nurse assists with each part of the plan?

The RN initiates nursing care plans while an LPN assists with each part

What is clinical judgement?

The outcome of clinical reasoning, the conclusion or decision (sometimes a nursing diagnosis) you arrive at as a result of exercising your clinical reasoning skills

What is the nursing process used for?

To identify patients' current or potential problems and an organized method for patients' needs