Conceptualizations of decision making in nursing: analytic models and "knowing the patient"

Most studies of clinical decision making in nursing have been guided by analytic theories, such as information-processing and decision-analysis theories. Recently, some investigators have used naturalistic methods and have identified "knowing the patient" as relevant to clinical judgment. The author discusses two lines of inquiry and offers possible explanations for differences between the two conceptualizations of clinical decision making. Insights for future research are proposed.