Perioperative nurses' ability to think critically

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Education
• Cognitive Skills Assessment

Background:

• Critical thinking is increasingly vital for nurses due to evolving healthcare dynamics and technological advancements.
• Nurses' roles demand enhanced psychomotor and cognitive skills to meet patient and management expectations.
• The concept of critical thinking has historical roots in educational discourse dating back to 1912.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the presence and degree of critical thinking skills among perioperative (OR) nurses.
• To explore the relationship between critical thinking dispositions and skills in OR nurses.
• To identify factors influencing critical thinking abilities in the perioperative nursing context.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative descriptive correlational study was conducted.
• Data were collected from 92 OR nurses across university-affiliated medical centers and ambulatory surgicenters.
• Instruments included the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, an investigator-developed tool, and a demographic survey.

Main Results:

• Overall, critical thinking skills and dispositions were not significantly correlated in the aggregate sample.
• In one medical center, higher critical thinking correlated with increased truth-seeking but decreased open-mindedness.
• In surgical centers, predictors of critical thinking were not significant; in another medical center, decreased critical thinking correlated with increased open-mindedness.

Conclusions:

• Critical thinking skills in perioperative nurses may be influenced by organizational culture, geographic location, and specialization.
• Specialized competencies within perioperative nursing might present barriers to the development of critical thinking.
• Impediments to critical thinking development could negatively impact the anticipation of adverse patient outcomes in the OR.