Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking and the Nursing Process
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On completion of the subject, the learner will be able to:
1. Define the characteristics of critical thinking and critical thinkers.
2. Describe the critical thinking process.
Definition of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a multidimensional skill, a cognitive or mental process or set of procedures. It involves reasoning and purposeful, systematic, reflective, rational, outcome-directed thinking based on a body of knowledge, as well as examination and analysis of all available information and ideas.
Fonteyn (1998) identified 12 predominant thinking strategies used by nurses, regardless of their area of clinical practice:
• Recognizing a pattern
• Setting priorities
• Searching for information
• Generating hypotheses
• Making predictions
• Forming relationships
• Stating a proposition (“if–then”)
• Asserting a practice rule
• Making choices (alternative actions)
• Judging the value
• Drawing conclusions