Development of an Australian nursing critical thinking tool using a Delphi process

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Assessment
• Clinical Reasoning

Background:

• Critical thinking is vital for safe patient care in nursing.
• Assessing critical thinking in nursing practice presents unique challenges due to the complexity of clinical decision-making.
• Variations in nursing responses stem from differences in knowledge, experience, and critical thinking skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a critical thinking assessment tool specifically for Australian undergraduate nursing students.
• To create a reliable method for evaluating the critical thinking abilities of nursing professionals.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi process was employed to develop five clinical case studies and 25 associated clinical questions.
• A panel of 13 Australian nursing experts participated in four rounds of surveys using the Qualtrics platform.
• Consensus (≥80% agreement) was achieved on the accuracy and relevance of case scenarios and ranked nursing responses.

Main Results:

• The Delphi process successfully yielded five comprehensive clinical case studies.
• Ranked nursing responses for patient management were established for 25 clinical questions.
• Consensus was reached on the wording and correct answers for all scenarios after four rounds.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool provides a structured method for assessing nursing critical thinking.
• Implementation of this tool can enhance confidence in a nurse's demonstrated level of critical thinking ability.
• This assessment tool supports the educational and professional development of Australian nurses.