The nurse enters a patient's room and notes he is nauseous,vomiting,and experiencing abdominal pain,and has no bowel sounds.She concludes that the patient's symptoms may be associated with a paralytic ileus.In arriving at this conclusion,the nurse has used:
A) Inductive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Guesswork
D) Diagnostics

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning is often used in the nursing process.Induction moves from the specific to the general.One gathers separate pieces of information,recognizes a pattern,and forms a generalization or conclusion.In this item,the nurse uses inductive reasoning based on her observations and assessment of this patient and concludes his symptoms are associated with a paralytic ileus.This is not guesswork,as the nurse is using her observation,assessment skills,and knowledge to draw a conclusion.Deductive reasoning starts with a general premise and moves to a specific deduction.The nurse is not diagnosing this patient,as this is the scope of practice for the medical doctor.She is,however,making an association between S+S and a disease process.

The Nurse Enters a Patient's Room and Notes He Is