Critical thinking empowers the nurse to recognize important situational cues and respond quickly to adapt interventions, optimizing their effectiveness and the likelihood of a good outcome. What is true about this aspect of critical thinking?

Question

1. This method of thinking is similar to the way that a skilled nurse uses continued assessment and evaluation to adapt the patient's care plan.
2. Using this method of critical thinking produces only one correct solution to a problem.
3. The need to change the plan of care indicates that critical thinking and the nursing process are not compatible.
4. The statement proves that critical thinking is another term for the nursing process.

Answer 1

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Rationale 1: The nurse uses critical thinking to continually assess the patient and evaluate response to interventions, then making changes to the plan of care to improve outcomes.
Rationale 2: Critical thinking does not imply that there is only one correct answer to a problem; rather it demands that the nurse looks at information related to the question from many different viewpoints to identify the next step.
Rationale 3: Thinking critically about patient response to interventions encourages the nurse to change portions of the care plan that are not effective.
Rationale 4: Critical thinking and the nursing process are not synonymous; critical thinking enhances and complements the nursing process but is not identical to it.