Deck 8: Critical Thinking

Question 1

The nurse comes up with creative methods to help soothe agitated patients with dementia when the usual approaches fail.Which term best describes the action of the nurse?

A) Concept mapping
B) Diagnostic reasoning
C) Scientific method
D) Effective problem solving

Answer 1

Effective problem solving

Question 2

The nurse asks another nurse for assistance when trying to determine the best way to manage a postoperative patient's pain.Which critical thinking attitude is demonstrated by the nurse?

A) Humility
B) Confidence
C) Risk taking
D) Fairness

Answer 2

Humility

Question 3

The nurse inappropriately assumed that the patient did not require pain medication due to a history of substance abuse.Which critical thinking concept did the nurse fail to use?

A) Criticism
B) Maturity
C) Analysis
D) Organization

Answer 3

Analysis

Question 4

A registered nurse is caring for a postoperative patient whose systolic blood pressure has dropped 10 points during the shift.The nurse remembers that this was similar to a situation that happened in the past when a patient developed an internal bleed.Which term most accurately describes the thought process of the nurse?

A) Reflection
B) Curiosity
C) Discipline
D) Confidence

Question 5

The nurse suspects that a patient is being abused by the spouse based on the presence of many unexplained bruises and the nonverbal behavior of the patient.Which critical thinking technique was used by the nurse?

A) Intuition
B) Humility
C) Curiosity
D) Fairness

Question 6

Which action by the nurse is an example of a workaround?

A) In order to save time,the nurse scans medication bar codes after administration to the patient.
B) The nurse prioritizes care for patients so that the most urgent patient needs are addressed first.
C) The nurse helps the nursing assistant to change the linens after a patient is incontinent of stool and urine.
D) The nurse seeks assistance from another nurse when having difficulty advancing the urinary catheter into the bladder.

Question 7

In a facility with an outbreak of Clostridium difficile,the nurse manager determines that staff members are continuing to use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when caring for patients with Clostridium difficile infection despite the policy which requires hand hygiene using soap and water.Which step of the scientific method was performed by the nurse manager?

A) Identification of the problem
B) Formation of the hypothesis
C) Investigation of the hypothesis
D) Evaluation of the intervention

Question 8

The nurse implements interventions to address risk for falls after noting that the patient is unsteady when getting out of bed.The nurse is using which skill in this situation?

A) Medical diagnosis
B) Scientific method
C) Diagnostic reasoning
D) Data collection

Question 9

Which behavior demonstrates basic critical thinking expected of beginning nursing students?

A) Creating a personalized bowel elimination program for a patient with constipation due to narcotic pain medications
B) Elevating the patient's leg and applying ice packs when the patient's postoperative pain is not relieved with prescribed pain medications
C) Asking the instructor for assistance when having difficulty inserting the urinary catheter into the male patient's bladder
D) Advocating for delay in the patient's discharge when the nurse suspects that a serious surgical complication has developed

Question 10

Which is the best tool that the nurse can use to make sense of the patient's multiple medical diagnoses,assessment findings,and medications?

A) Plan of care
B) Concept map
C) Reflective journal
D) Intellectual standards

Question 11

Which patient's need constitutes the highest priority for the nurse?

A) The patient who is waiting for discharge teaching in order to go home
B) The constipated patient who has not had a bowel movement in 3 days
C) The patient with sudden onset of slurred speech and right-sided weakness
D) The patient who requires linen changes after being incontinent of urine and stool

Question 12

A nurse uses personal experience as well as knowledge of body mechanics and medical equipment in order to determine the safest way to transfer the paraplegic patient from the bed to the wheelchair.Which critical thinking concept is demonstrated by the nurse?

A) Evaluation
B) Explanation
C) Development
D) Self-regulation

Question 13

The nurse is caring for a patient who is having severe pain despite regular doses of narcotic pain medication.The nurse suspects that the patient may be experiencing neuropathy and obtains an order for gabapentin which relieves the patient's pain.Which term most accurately describes the action of the nurse?

A) Intuition
B) Reflection
C) Perseverance
D) Critical thinking

Question 14

The experienced trauma nurse determines that the patient may have suffered a cervical spinal cord injury as the patient is unable to feel or move the arms or legs.Which term best describes the nurse's ability to make this conclusion?

A) Data collection
B) Clinical inference
C) Scientific method
D) Standardized criteria

Question 15

The new nurse keeps a diary to record experiences,patient encounters,and feelings when beginning work in the nursing profession.Which critical thinking action is used by the nurse?

A) Professional standards
B) Nursing process
C) Concept mapping
D) Purposeful reflection

Question 16

The nurse readily accepts an opportunity to become certified in wound care and ostomy management.Which critical thinking concept is demonstrated by the nurse?

A) Maturity
B) Analyticity
C) Systematicity
D) Inquisitiveness

Question 17

The nurse feels strongly that the patient may be suffering from physical abuse.The nurse reports the situation to protective services even though the physician insists that the patient is simply accident-prone.Which component of critical thinking leads the nurse to file the report even though the physician believes it is not needed?

A) Fairness
B) Creativity
C) Discipline
D) Confidence

Question 18

Which action of the nurse demonstrates clinical decision making?

A) The nurse performs a detailed health history and physical assessment when the patient is admitted to the unit.
B) The nurse determines that the patient is at risk for constipation due to use of postoperative narcotic pain medication.
C) The nurse applies a hydrocolloid dressing to the patient's decubitus ulcer as ordered by the physician.
D) The nurse assesses the patient's oral mucus membranes each morning to check for candida infection or ulceration.

Question 19

The nurse becomes very skilled at feeding patients with dysphagia after working on a rehabilitation unit for many years.Which component of critical thinking allows the nurse to function at this high level of practice?

A) Integrity
B) Experience
C) Risk taking
D) Responsibility

Question 20

Which action by the nurse best demonstrates independent thinking?

A) Removing and carefully cleaning the patient's dentures every night
B) Initiating swallow precautions when the patient shows signs of aspiration
C) Teaching the diabetic patient how to self-administer insulin injections
D) Actively listening to the patient when recording the patient's health history

Question 21

Which statement is true about critical thinking?

A) It is the same thing as the nursing process.
B) It is moving from writing a plan of care to thinking.
C) It is a haphazard method of providing nursing care.
D) It is a continuous process characterized by open-mindedness.

Question 22

The nurse noted a rise in skin infections on the nursing unit.After a literature review was completed,a new bathing protocol using disposable wash basins and pH balanced skin cleansers was suggested.Which steps of the scientific process were used by the nurse?

A) Identify the problem.
B) Collect the data.
C) Answer the question.
D) Evaluate the results.
E) Publish findings.

Question 23

The nurse carefully performs a careful physical assessment and health history for the patient,making sure not to miss any body systems.Which attitude for critical thinking is demonstrated by the nurse?

A) Integrity
B) Planning
C) Discipline
D) Diagnosis

Question 24

Which action by the nurse demonstrates the use of fairness for critical thinking?

A) Adherence to the six rights when administering medication to a patient
B) Clarification of an unusually high dosage medication with the prescriber
C) Effective pain management is provided for all patients regardless of background
D) Development of a personalized swallowing precautions protocol for the patient