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Running Head: Using the Nursing Process 1
The Nursing Process and Developing Critical Thinking
Channing Derrick Dixie State University
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The Nursing Process and Developing Critical Thinking The Nursing Process is a systematic way to assess and collect information about a patient you are caring for. It involves a series of steps and utilizes guidelines to organize information and data that is received. Nurses must also use critical thinking while providing care. Critical thinking involves looking at the whole picture and not overlooking or discarding any information that could be relevant. Critical thinking and using the nursing process go hand in hand, and both should be used during planning and implementing patient care on a regular basis. What is the Nursing Process? The nursing process contains six steps and is remembered by using the acronym ADOPIE. Assessment, Diagnosis, Outcome, Prevention, Intervention, and Evaluation are used to collect patient data and evaluate their care. Assessment is the first step in developing and delivering patient care. The American Association of Nursing states that, An assessment includes not only physiological data, but also psychological, sociocultural, spiritual, economic, and life-style factors as well (American Nurses Association, 2014). It is important that we assess the whole patient. It is more than just doing a basic physical assessment. Psychological, cultural, spiritual needs can also play into ones plan of care. Pain must also be assessed during this stage. Questions about pain onset, location, duration, exacerbation, radiation, relief, and severity should all be included. Diagnosing relates to the nurse assessing and finding problems or those that the patient might be at risk for. When a nurse makes a diagnosis, they use all the information gathered in Using the Nursing Process 3
the first step of the nursing process, and piece together a plan of care. The nurse uses critical thinking and clinical judgment to identify the problem. Outcome and Prevention are the third and fourth step, and are often grouped together. The nurse and patient should set goals together. These goals are specific and relate to each problem identified. These goals are individualized, and can be short or long term. Assessment data, diagnosis, and goals are written in the patients care plan so that nurses, as well as other health professionals caring for the patient, have access to it (American Nurses Association, 2014). Doing this ensures that other members of the health care team can look at and have access to the patients goals. The intervention step is next. Interventions are implemented to assure continuity of care is done while patient is in the hospital. This care is done up until the time of discharge. Interventions are used to help decrease the severity or fix those problems that were identified during the assessment. The nurse must critically think and come up with interventions that will help with each diagnosis. Evaluation is the final step of the nursing process. A good nurse will evaluate throughout the entire nursing process. One must reflect and evaluate the plan of care that is set for each patient. If an intervention isnt meeting the need of the patient, why continue doing it? If the interventions arent working and the patient isnt improving, something needs to be changed. Nurses should always be reviewing and updating their plan of care. Something that works one day might not always work the next.
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How to Utilize Critical Thinking While Using the Nursing Process. The purpose of the nursing process is to help nurses manage each patients care scientifically, holistically, and creatively (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone & Lynn, 2011). In order to do this, the nurse needs to acquire specific cognitive and technical skills, along with having the motivation and willingness to promote and restore health. Cognitively skilled nurses are critical thinkers. Critical thinking is defined as, thought that is disciplined, comprehensive, based on intellectual standards, and, as a result, well-reasoned; a systematic way to form and shape ones thinking that functions purposefully and exactingly (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone & Lynn, 2011). When thinking critically, there are 5 suggestions the Fundamentals of Nursing textbook outlines. The first is to identify a purpose of your thinking. Nurses must focus on a goal and filter out any unnecessary thoughts or ideas. A nurses goal should be to make a decision and decide on how to best intervene. The second is to look at the knowledge one has. Is this knowledge accurate and complete? Or iss important information left out? Each nurse should also evaluate as to whether or not they understand all of the details within the problem. The third suggestion is learning how to flag potential problems. Think about ways to deal with these problems and continue working towards the goal. Nurses do not want their thinking to be biased. Emotion can also get in the way of critical thinking in this area. The fourth is to identify helpful resources and use them when needed. Not everyone knows all the answers. Identify resources that are experienced or can help you in your deficiencies. Some key resources could be clinicians, textbooks, policies and procedure manuals, and professional groups. Last is identifying opposing views or opinions and incorporating those into the decision. All factors Using the Nursing Process 5
should be weighed and evaluated before drawing a conclusion. Using these suggestions will aid in developing critical thinking.
Conclusion Nurses are trusted and depended on, in their profession, to complete the total care of those they treat. Using the nursing process is key to grasping the entire picture and making an accurate and complete plan of care. Starting with assessment and working through each step will help organize the care for the people we care for. Each plan of care will not be perfect and will most likely have to be modified. That is why it is important that nurses be able to critically think and reason through this process. Critical thinking is weighing all possible factors and looking outside the box for answers. It is a complete process of thinking and requires practice.
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References American Nurses Association (2014). The Nursing Process. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing/Tools- YouNeed/Thenursingprocess.html
Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P. (2011). Fundamentals of Nursing. (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
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