Catheter-related sepsis in the neonate: thinking critically about a persistent problem

Catheter-related sepsis (CRS) is a clinical problem gaining increasing attention in the literature. Before strategies for reducing the incidence of CRS can be identified, a consistent definition of the problem must be developed. Critical thinking is an intellectual process used to reflect upon a topic of interest. The critical thinking process provides a framework for comprehensive analysis of patient care problems. The article describes the critical thinking process and proposes a model of critical thinking for practicing nurses. This model is applied to the development of comprehensive definitions for CRS that may be used by neonatal nurses for clinical and research purposes.