Logic and Critical Thinking
MC103NUR | MRS. MELODY CRISPINA MORALES, MSN
CRITICAL THINKING
 …it is a discipline-specific, reflective reasoning process that
guides a nurse in generating, implementing, and evaluating
approaches for dealing with client care and professional
concerns (National League for Nursing, 2000)
 it is essential to safe, competent, skillful nursing practice
 …a pattern of thinking based on
 Knowledge
 Experience
 abilities to conceptualize and analyze relationships
 uses DIRECTED thinking which has a goal and is purposeful
 involves
 organizing information
 picking out relevant information
 relating and making associations
 making judgments
CRITICAL THINKING in NURSING
Why is critical thinking IMPORTANT?
N URSES USE KNOWLEDGE FROM OTHER SUBJECTS AND FIELDS .
 Integrating basic knowledge to medical and nursing sciences
requires making interdisciplinary connections.
 EXAMPLE :
 Nurses use their knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology to
identify the location of pain.
 Nurses make use of basic arithmetic functions to do drug
calculations.
 Nurses use a great deal of communication skills to interact
with patients and members of the health team.
N URSES DEAL WITH CHANGE IN STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS .
 Nurses work in a rapidly changing environment that requires
constant alertness, vigilance and adaptability.
 EXAMPLE :
 At the beginning of the shift, there are only 5
patients...after 2 hours, it increased to 10...by the end of
the day, a total of 25 are under the nurses’ care.
 A young child has high fever and suddenly develops
convulsion...he begins shaking and froths from the mouth.
N URSES MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS .
 The decisions nurses make are vital for her own and others’
survival.
 EXAMPLE :
 With the increase in census from 5 to 10 to 25, how will
the nurses provide care to all of patients?
 What will the nurse do in the event a young patient
suddenly develops convulsion?
 What will the nurse do when she finds out after drug
calculation that the doctor ordered a very high dose for
the patient?
SKILLS in CRITICAL THINKING
 C RITICAL A NALYSIS – application of a set of questions to a
particular situation or idea to determine essential information
 S OCRATIC Q UESTIONING – a technique to look beneath the surface
and differentiate what one knows from what one merely believes
 I NDUCTIVE R EASONING – thinking from specific to general
 D EDUCTIVE R EASONING – thinking from general to specific
ATTITUDES that foster CRITICAL THINKING
I NDEPENDENCE
 thinking for one’s self and it involves considering a wide range
of ideas, learning from them and making one’s judgment
F AIR - MINDEDNESS
 assessing all viewpoints with the same standards and not basing
judgment on personal or group bias or prejudice
I NSIGHT INTO E GOCENTRICITY
 awareness of the possibility that personal biases, social
pressures and customs can unduly affect one’s thinking and these
are put in mind before making any decision/s
I NTELLECTUAL H UMILITY
 awareness of the limits of one’s own knowledge
 Critical thinkers are willing to admit what they do not know.
 They are willing to seek new information and rethink
conclusions in light of new knowledge.
I NTELLECTUAL C OURAGE TO C HALLENGE S TATUS Q UO AND R ITUALS
 courage and willingness to consider and examine fairly one’s own
ideas recognizing the fact that beliefs are sometimes false or
misleading
I NTEGRITY
 applying the same rigorous standards of proving one’s own
knowledge as they apply to the beliefs and knowledge of others
P ERSEVERANCE
 having the determination to clarify concepts, sort out related
issues and find effective solutions
C ONFIDENCE
 cultivating an attitude of belief that well-reasoned thinking will
lead to trustworthy conclusions
 agree to disagree
C URIOSITY
 the mind is full of questions and is not afraid to examine traditions
(status quo) to make sure these are still valid
BARRIERS to DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING
D RONE M ENTALITY
 not paying attention to what is going around one’s self
 inability to respond to new circumstances , shy away from
challenges because it is easy and convenient
S OCIAL C ONDITIONING
 causes unwanted assumptions and stereotyping
 failure to think “outside of the box”
P ERSONAL BIASES
 prevent being fair, inquisitive and fair-minded
 prevent individuals from using experiences, reasoning and
common sense to make informed decisions
S CHEDULE ( TIME ) PRESSURES
 the need to learn many things in a short (often limited) period of
time
 failure to prioritize which to learn fist and foremost
A RROGANCE AND INTOLERANCE
 stems from a closed-mindset
 individuals often react thoughtlessly and recklessly
 block creativity and hinders acceptance of
responsibility/accountability for thoughts/actions
F EAR
 prevents a person from confronting evidence or facts that forces
re-evaluation of opinions and point of views
STRATEGIES and TECHNIQUES to IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING
 Keep an open mind.
 Use rationale to support opinions or decisions.
 Reflect on thoughts before reaching a conclusion.
 Use past clinical experiences to build knowledge.
 Acquire an adequate knowledge base that continues to build.
 Be aware of the interaction with others.
 Be aware of the environment.
Developing Critical Thinking
 S ELF - ASSESSMENT – reflection (in knowing and in action)
 T OLERATING AMBIGUITY AND DISSONANCE – openness to different
viewpoints and suspending immediate judgment
 S EEKING SITUATIONS WHERE GOOD THINKING IS PRACTICED – conferences,
clinical or educational setting that support creativity and open
thinking
 C REATING ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT CRITICAL THINKING – conducive
atmosphere that encourages differences of opinion and their fair
examination
DIANNE PIÑERA 1