Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Thinking in clinical nursing practice: a study of critical care nurses' thinking applying the think-aloud, protocol
Kyung-Ja Han1, Hesook Suzie Kim2, Mae-Ja Kim1
1Professor, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Purpose:
The purpose of the paper is to discover the patterns and processes of decision-making in clinical nursing practice.
Methods:
A set of think-aloud data from five critical care nurses during 40 to 50 minutes of caregiving in intensive care units were obtained and analyzed by applying the procedures recommended by Ericsson and Simon for protocol analysis.
Results:
Four thinking processes before acting were identified to constitute various sorts of thoughts in which the nurses were engaged during patient care: reviewing, validation, consideration, rationalization, and action. In addition, three patterns of sequential streaming of thinking (short, intermediate, long) were identified to reveal various ways the nurses dealt with clinical situations involving nursing tasks and responsibilities.
Conclusion:
This study specifies the initial categories of thoughts for each of the processes and various patterns with which these processes are sequentially combined, providing insights into the ways nurses think about problems and address their concerns. The findings suggest that the thinking in clinical practice involves more than focused decision-making and reasoning, and needs to be examined from a broader perspective.
Related Concept Videos
Patient-centered Care
Critical Thinking I
Critical Thinking II
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process I: Assessment and Diagnosis
The nursing process considers the patient's emotional and physical well-being. The process can be repeated or stopped at any point if judged essential. Assessment is the first step in the nursing...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation

