Biomaterial Database

Charting critical thinking: nursing judgments and patient outcomes. 1997

S K Chase

Boston College, School of Nursing, MA, USA.

Critical thinking involves analyzing data and making judgments about patient conditions, progress, and nursing interventions. Critical thinking forms the basis for quality documentation. As nurses' expertise in critical thinking grows, nurses can record how the unique considerations for each patient guided individual care and resulted in positive outcomes. Emphasizing individual nursing care and patient outcomes from that care helps meet Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards and gives nurses credit for their expertise. Techniques of critical thinking supported by advanced critical care nurses can lead to improved documentation for entire nursing units.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007591	Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations	A private, voluntary, not-for-profit organization which establishes standards for the operation of health facilities and services, conducts surveys, and awards accreditation.	JCAHO,Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals,Joint Commission of Accreditation, Health Care Organizations,Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations,Joint Commission on Accreditation, Health Care Organizations,Joint Commission on Accreditation, Healthcare Organizations
D007600	Judgment	The process of discovering or asserting an objective or intrinsic relation between two objects or concepts; a faculty or power that enables a person to make judgments; the process of bringing to light and asserting the implicit meaning of a concept; a critical evaluation of a person or situation.	Judgement,Judgements,Judgments
D009736	Nursing Process	The sum total of nursing activities which includes assessment (identifying needs), intervention (ministering to needs), and evaluation (validating the effectiveness of the help given).	Process, Nursing,Nursing Processes,Processes, Nursing
D009737	Nursing Records	Data recorded by nurses concerning the nursing care given to the patient, including judgment of the patient's progress.	Records, Nursing,Nursing Record,Record, Nursing
D003422	Critical Care	Health care provided to a critically ill patient during a medical emergency or crisis.	Intensive Care,Intensive Care, Surgical,Surgical Intensive Care,Care, Critical,Care, Intensive,Care, Surgical Intensive
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013850	Thinking	Mental activity that is not predominantly perceptual by which one apprehends some aspect of an object or situation based on past learning and experience.	Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Thought,Thinking Skill,Thinking, Critical,Thoughts
D017063	Outcome Assessment, Health Care	Research aimed at assessing the quality and effectiveness of health care as measured by the attainment of a specified end result or outcome. Measures include parameters such as improved health, lowered morbidity or mortality, and improvement of abnormal states (such as elevated blood pressure).	Assessment, Outcome,Outcome Assessment,Outcome Assessment (Health Care),Outcomes Research,Assessment, Outcomes,Outcome Measures,Outcome Studies,Outcomes Assessment,Assessment, Outcome (Health Care),Assessments, Outcome,Assessments, Outcome (Health Care),Assessments, Outcomes,Measure, Outcome,Measures, Outcome,Outcome Assessments,Outcome Assessments (Health Care),Outcome Measure,Outcome Study,Outcomes Assessments,Research, Outcomes,Studies, Outcome,Study, Outcome