Basic Nursing 1st Edition by Judith Wilkinson, Leslie Treas

Exercise 25

Eisenhauer, L.A., Hurley, A. C., Dolan, N. (2007). Nurses' reported thinking during medication administration. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 39( l ), 82-87.
This study used interviews and real-time tape recordings to document 40 nurses' self-reported thinking processes during medication administration. They identified that nurses used judgment in dosage, timing, and selection of specific medications, and that these situations provided the best data about nurses' use of critical thinking. A key element was the nurses' constant professional vigilance to ensure that patients received the correct medications. Researchers concluded that nurses' thinking processes extended beyond following rules and procedures, and were based on patient data and professional knowledge.
Based on this abstract, which of the following questions might this study answer satisfactorily for you? Explain your reasoning.
a. Do nurses use critical thinking in many aspects of patient care?
b. Do some nurses use critical thinking when administering medications?
c. Do all nurses use critical thinking when administering medications?
d. Which of the 40 nurses demonstrated the highest level of critical thinking?