Critical thinking for outcomes-based practice

Critical thinking is a vital component in managing patient-related outcomes at the staff level. It involves making observations and then asking "why?" Critical thinkers explore connections between current events and other events, stretching the boundaries of the situation. This allows the critical thinker to make new associations, challenge the status quo, find subtle patterns, and arrive at new formulations to old issues. Although nurses are most often traditional thinkers, it is possible to develop or refine their critical thinking skills through participation in learning situations that focus on exploring new approaches to thinking.