Exam 12: Critical and Diagnostic Thinking for Better Clinical Judgment

Using clinical judgment, the nurse makes decisions on whether to proceed with or revise a course of action. The inquiry (investigational or exploratory) subprocess necessary for sound clinical judgment is _____ thinking.

Critical thought is a(n):

The nurse has received a change-of-shift report about these four patients. Which one should the nurse plan to assess first?

The complexity of the current health care environment requires nursing to (select all that apply):

The nurse who can think critically will make more effective clinical decisions, meet more of the patient's needs, and affect positive patient outcomes. How this is accomplished? (Select all that apply.)

A nurse manager is designing orientation processes for new graduate nurses by using the work of Hansten and Washburn as a model. All of the new graduates are instructed in the model during orientation. The manager knows that a graduate nurse needs more instruction if which comment is made during the evaluation interview?

The nurse has received a shift report. Which patient should the nurse assess first?

Which patient would the nurse see first at the start of the shift?

Select the hospital patient who has the best chance of avoiding a nosocomial infection.

A novice RN is caring for a patient who is saying that something is wrong. Vital signs are normal and there are no new specific findings. The novice RN calls another, more experienced RN who briefly talks with the patient, calls the health care provider, and initiates a transfer to the ICU. Which statement is most likely true of the more experienced RN?

Which of the following is the best example of an open-ended question regarding a patient's pain?

Each element of the nursing process involves critical thinking. Which definition of assessment reflects critical thinking?

Which statement best assists the nurse in planning care for the patient who is not adhering to the treatment regimen?

A patient has a problem that prevents him from shaving himself, tying his shoes, or fixing his meals. He is not physically able to compensate for the problem, so he is in need of assistance. Data support the nursing diagnosis "impaired physical mobility" by what mode of reasoning?

As elements of reasoning and critical thought, why are implications or consequences of outcomes important to consider?

Critical thinking is a purposeful, goal-directed process of inquiry that uses available facts, principles, theories, and abstractions. Which statement best describes the processes that are accomplished through critical thinking?

An RN has been working with a patient on the nursing unit for a 12-hour shift. The nurse recognizes that each time the patient is turned to the left, the blood pressure drops 15 mm Hg. The same RN has seen this phenomenon in several other patients and makes the connection that patients with right-sided heart failure (the medical diagnosis) will experience a blood pressure drop if they are turned to their left side. This type of reasoning is called:

Reasoned thought is characterized by the lack of:

An RN has collected extensive data on a patient with attention deficit disorder. When weighing potential actions to help the patient and considering alternative solutions, which of the attributes of the critical thinker is the RN demonstrating?

The nurse is caring for a 19-year-old trauma patient paralyzed from the neck down. He is alert and oriented, requires assistance with ADLs, and keeps his spirits up with frequent visitors. A priority for the nurse is: