Biomedical subjects

Catherine G Ferrario

Publications and source records attributed to Catherine G Ferrario.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Developing clinical reasoning strategies: cognitive shortcuts.

Incorporating decision support research and technology, such as computerized "best practice" clinical pathways, into patient care management is recommended or decreasing cognitive demands on nurses. Criticized for not representing "real-time" patient care, these standardized approaches may be used in concert with strategies for developing nurses' own clinical reasoning. Real-time clinical information processing activities are offered for staff educators to augment the development of clinical reasoning for both experienced and less-experienced nurses' decision making.

Decision Making↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Developing nurses' critical thinking skills with concept mapping.

Observations and research in educational and practice settings suggest new nurses are not using critical thinking skills. Teaching strategies traditionally focused on linear modes of thinking--no longer as helpful in today's complex and crisis-driven contexts. Concept mapping has promise of promoting higher levels of thinking and may develop critical thinking--and decision-making skills--in less time and without intensive oversight by staff instructors. A case example is used to demonstrate the design of a concept map.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Experienced and less-experienced nurses' diagnostic reasoning: implications for fostering students' critical thinking.

PURPOSE: To compare the use of mental representations (heuristics) in diagnostic reasoning of expert (> or = 5 years' experience) and novice (< 5 years' experience) emergency nurses. METHODS: Clinical simulations were completed by a nationwide randomly selected sample of 173 experienced and 46 less-experienced emergency nurses (N = 219). FINDINGS: Experienced nurses used the heuristic, Judging by Causal Systems (diagnostic inferences deduced from systems of causal factors) significantly more did than less-experienced nurses. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Standardized nursing diagnoses may cut short the time needed to develop representational thinking and spare cognitive reserves for reasoning needed for complex patients. Faculty need to promote student's cognitive development through strategies that promote active, reflective, and integrative learning.

Adult↗