clinical reasoning Flashcards
clinical reasoning disposition
-confidence creativity flexibility reflective open minded intuition
critical thinking
curious about the reasons behind ideas and actions
thought and knowledge orientated
make decisions based on facts
can think independently but is aware of limitations
non-critical thinking
unconcerned by facts, reasons behind actions and motives
task orientated
make decisions based on feelings
relies on others
what would an experienced clinician do?
they would immediately observe any significant data, draw conclusions and initiate appropriate care.
Assumptions
Assumptions and beliefs can be a barrier to clinical reasoning.
Assumptions can lead to incorrect reasoning and care e.g. the assumption that all elderly people have dementia
core elements in the clinical reasoning process
use of knowledge, cognition and metacognition
cognition
to analyse, synthesise, and evaluate clinical data
applying theory to practice and forming a hypotheses
metacognition
awareness and monitoring of cognition
reflecting on accuracy, reliability and validity of thinking
testing hypotheses
8 stages of reasoning
observe collect process decide plan act evaluate reflect
observe stage
carefully observing the patient and their symptoms, and listing facts
collect stage
collecting detailed information, including both past and present facts related to the patient’s health and current medical problem
process stage
process the collected information to determine the best possible plan
decide stage
deciding the most appropriate treatment option for diagnosis, treatment based on the in-depth analysis of patient’s history and current situation
plan stage
creating a detailed treatment plan, which may require consulting with associate medical professionals/experts
Act stage
Delivering the determined treatment plan efficiently and accurately
evaluate stage
Evaluating the treatment plan’s outcomes to gauge its effectiveness
reflect stage
reflect on the outcomes and determining whether the treatment plan should be altered or recorded for future reference
what is clinical thinking?
the ability to: focus on what to believe reflect on information be intuitive be logical and analytical solve problems make a decision/judgement
why is clinical thinking important?
it enables holistic approach to care
it links theory to practice using experience and knowledge
patients’ are at the heart of the decisions made
responsibility to uphold highest standards of care
types of clinical reasoning
procedural, interactive, conditional
procedural reasoning
known as the ‘how to’ of carrying out a procedure
we identify a problem and try and fix it
it includes consideration of pain mechanisms, patient presentation and contributory factors.
it also includes hypothetico-deductive reasoning and pattern recognition
interactive reasoning
this focuses on the patient as a person rather than a condition
allows us to engage with and understand the patient, and gauge success of any intervention from the patient’s perspective
conditional (predictive) reasoning
envisioning future scenarios for the patient and exploring their choices
allows the patient and clinician to understand the future
considers the patient’s illness, experience, perspectives, beliefs and cultures
what is clinical reasoning
a specialized cognitive process
learn, reason, think creativity
reflective thinking
problem solving and decision making
it is a critical skill for professional autonomy, competence and accountability
