title: A decision-analytic approach to clinical nursing.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the usefulness of applying decision analysis to nursing decisions about a complex, emergent patient problem. A convenience sample of 31 nurses quantified their intuitive ideas into five mutually exclusive decision alternatives. A decision-analytic process and a preference analysis of each decision alternative were conducted. Nurses' intuitive decision alternatives were compared to the decision alternatives prescribed by the decision-analytic process. Eleven nurses (35%) demonstrated agreement between their first-ranked intuitive choice and the choice prescribed by the decision-analytic model. When the relative ranking of the vector of five treatment choices derived intuitively was compared to the relative ranking prescribed by the decision-analytic model, results showed significant disagreement between nurses' intuitive and quantitative choices.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Maryland at Baltimore.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Panniers
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003663:Decision Trees; D003697:Delphi Technique; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009736:Nursing Process; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000451:nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires