Does good critical thinking equal effective decision-making among critical care nurses? A cross-sectional survey

Purpose The aim of this study was to describe Jordanian critical care nurses’ experiences of autonomy in their clinical practice. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive correlational design was applied using a self-reported cross-sectional survey. A total of 110 registered nurses who met the eligibility criteria participated in this study. The data were collected by a structured questionnaire. Findings A majority of critical care nurses were autonomous in their decision-making and participation in decisions to take action in their clinical settings. Also, they were independent to develop their own knowledge. The study identified that their autonomy in action and acquired knowledge were influenced by a number of factors such as gender and area of practice. Practical implications Nurse’s autonomy could be increased if nurses are made aware of the current level of autonomy and explore new ways to increase empowerment. This could be offered through classroom lectures that concentrate on the concept of autonomy and its implication in practice. Nurses should demonstrate autonomous nursing care at the same time in the clinical practice. This could be done through collaboration between educators and clinical practice to help merge theory to practice. Originality/value Critical care nurses were more autonomous in action and knowledge base. This may negatively affect the quality of patient care and nurses’ job satisfaction. Therefore, improving nurses’ clinical decision-making autonomy could be done by the support of both hospital administrators and nurses themselves.

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Institutional design and utilisation of evaluation results in Uganda’s public universities: Empirical findings from Kyambogo University

African Evaluation Journal ◽

10.4102/aej.v5i1.190 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

James Kabuye ◽

Benon C. Basheka

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Institutional Design ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Evaluation Systems ◽

Effective Decision ◽

Effective Decision Making ◽

The University

Background: The need for evidence-based decision-making scaled up the need for monitoring and evaluation systems in Africa. The education sector has received increasing scrutiny, owing to its centrality in promoting the national agenda of countries. The higher education sub-sector has expanded in its drive to increase accessibility, albeit with numerous challenges and doubts, especially about the quality of education. Numerous evaluations in this sub-sector in Uganda have been carried out, but their results have not been used for effective decision-making. In this regard, the non-utilisation trend of evaluation findings is attributable to the design of the institutions where these evaluations are carried out.Objectives: The study examined the relationship between institutional design (procedural rules, evaluation processes and institutional capacity) and utilisation of evaluation results at Kyambogo University.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey involving a sample of 118 respondents whose views were obtained through the use of questionnaires and key informant interviews triangulated with documentary analysis.Results: The study found that procedural rules, evaluation processes and evaluation capacity had a positive (0.459, 0.486 and 0.765, respectively) and a statistically significant (sig. = 0.000) effect on utilisation of evaluation results. This means that the dimensions of institutional design were important predictors of utilisation of evaluation results by a public sector agency.Conclusion: Strengthening of the evaluation competences and capacity of the university by empowering the Directorate of Planning and Development to coordinate and harmonise all evaluations and be charged with the follow-up of utilisation of the results is an emerging recommendation from this study.

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Promoting Critical Thinking in Virtual Teams

Advances in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development - Collaborative Communication Processes and Decision Making in Organizations ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-4478-6.ch011 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 201-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Helena Heizmann

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Critical Thinking ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Virtual Teams ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Behaviors ◽

Dialogic Learning ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Effective Decision ◽

Effective Decision Making

Effective decision-making in a virtual environment is becoming increasingly important as more and more organizations introduce virtual teams into their global businesses. Critical thinking is a reflective practice that has been suggested to enhance the quality of group decision-making in organizations (Natale & Ricci, 2006). However, little is known about the value of critical thinking in a virtual team environment and the ways in which it can be promoted. This chapter provides a conceptual model of informed decision-making based on critical thinking. It further outlines how critical thinking can be promoted in virtual teams through an active shift towards a dialogic learning culture, constituted by collaborative communication behaviors, authentic leadership, and the use of social Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

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Critical care nurses' critical thinking and decision making related to pain management

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing ◽

10.1016/j.iccn.2020.103000 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 103000

Author(s):

Mohammad Rababa ◽

Sami Al-Rawashdeh

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Critical Care ◽

Critical Thinking ◽

Pain Management ◽

Critical Care Nurses

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Key Elements of the Critical Care Work Environment Associated With Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2021775 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 113-120

Author(s):

Lesly A. Kelly ◽

Karen L. Johnson ◽

R. Curtis Bay ◽

Michael Todd

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Decision Making ◽

Critical Care ◽

Work Environment ◽

Compassion Satisfaction ◽

Well Being ◽

Nurse Turnover ◽

Effective Decision ◽

Effective Decision Making ◽

The Impact

Background As the role of a health care system’s influence on nurse burnout becomes better understood, an under-standing of the impact of a nurses’ work environment on burnout and well-being is also imperative. Objective To identify the key elements of a healthy work environment associated with burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion satisfaction, as well as the effect of burnout and the work environment on nurse turnover. Methods A total of 779 nurses in 24 critical care units at 13 hospitals completed a survey measuring burnout and quality of the work environment. Actual unit-level data for nurse turnover during a 5-month period were queried and compared with the survey results. Results Among nurses in the sample, 61% experience moderate burnout. In models controlling for key nurse characteristics including age, level of education, and professional recognition, 3 key elements of the work environment emerged as significant predictors of burnout: staffing, meaningful recognition, and effective decision-making. The latter 2 elements also predicted more compassion satisfaction among critical care nurses. In line with previous research, these findings affirm that younger age is associated with more burnout and less compassion satisfaction. Conclusions Efforts are recommended on these 3 elements of the work environment (staffing, meaningful recognition, effective decision-making) as part of a holistic, systems-based approach to addressing burnout and well-being. Such efforts, in addition to supporting personal resilience-building activities, should be undertaken especially with younger members of the workforce in order to begin to address the crisis of burnout in health care.

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