Introduction
Nursing professionals must have strong clinical judgment to make decisions in complex and frequently complicated circumstances. The author of “Thinking Like a Nurse: A Research-Based Model of Clinical Judgement in Nursing,” Christine Tanner, examines the variables affecting clinical judgment and the function of intuition in nursing. The most significant factors affecting clinical assessment, the interaction between experience and knowledge, and the value of intuition in clinical decision-making will all be covered in this essay.
Factors that affect clinical judgment
Tanner’s research pinpoints several essential factors that affect clinical judgment. One of the major conclusions is that subjective information is less influential on clinical assessments than what nurses bring to the table. Their background knowledge, values, and philosophical viewpoints significantly impact how nurses perceive and interpret clinical events (Tanner, 2006). This shows that the prism nurses view patient situations is shaped by individual experience and expertise.
Tanner also emphasizes the significance of comprehending the patient’s regular reaction patterns. Because of their experience, nurses can identify minute changes in a patient’s condition and interpret them appropriately. The nurse’s experience and skills are paired with the patient’s medical history to help solve the data and assist in decision-making.
Knowledge, Experience, or a Combination of Both?
In clinical judgment, education and experience are both essential components. Experience improves the capacity to use knowledge successfully while learning offers a basis for understanding disease processes, therapies, and best practices. According to Tanner’s research, sound clinical judgment partially depends on being aware of the patient’s regular pattern of behavior. Nursing professionals can identify departures from the norm using this knowledge, which they learn through experience, even when objective evidence might not immediately point to a problem.
According to the clinical judgment model put forth in the article, making decisions requires both knowledge and experience. To develop the best solutions, nurses must combine their medical expertise with understanding the patient’s history and particular circumstances (Tanner, 2006).
Intuition’s Function
According to Tanner’s article, intuition is essential to clinical judgment. Based on previous encounters with comparable situations, intuition involves instantaneous apprehension of a clinical scenario. It is frequently characterized by pattern identification, in which nurses immediately spot connections between the current circumstance and previous occurrences (Tanner, 2006).
Nursing intuition grows over time due to coverage of various clinical situations. To make decisions quickly and accurately, seasoned nurses draw on their experience bank of prior encounters. But intuition development requires conscious exercise and ongoing learning; it is not solely the product of intrinsic ability. Nurses’ intuitive understanding of clinical circumstances sharpens as they deal with various cases and consider their outcomes.
Finding Your Nursing Intuition
Nurses need experience in a variety of clinical cases as well as reflective practice to build nursing intuition. Nursing students and professionals can experience a range of situations through clinical rotations, simulations, and case studies. Reflective activities help nurses evaluate their choices, examine alternative strategies, and learn from their experiences. Examples include post-case debriefings and journaling.
Intuition can be developed through mentoring and teamwork with more seasoned nurses. Nurses can hone their intuitive skills by participating in discussions regarding clinical reasoning, exchanging knowledge, and getting advice from peers with a wealth of experience.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, various variables, such as experience, knowledge, the context of the patient, and individual values, affect clinical judgment in nursing. Nurses rely on their prior knowledge and the patient’s reaction patterns to assess clinical events and come to wise conclusions. The result of experience and reflection, intuition, significantly impacts clinical decisions. It takes exposure to various circumstances, reflective practice, and teamwork with more seasoned colleagues to develop nursing intuition. In complicated healthcare situations, nurses are well-equipped to make quick decisions due to the interaction of experience, knowledge, and intuition.
References
Tanner, C. A. (2006). Thinking like a nurse: A research-based model of clinical judgment in nursing. Journal of nursing education, 45(6), 204-211.
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