title: A conceptual treadmill: the need for 'middle ground' in clinical decision making theory in nursing.
abstract: This paper explores the two predominant theoretical approaches to the process of nurse decision making prevalent within the nursing research literature: systematic-positivistic approaches as exemplified by information processing theory, and the intuitive-humanistic approach of Patricia Benner. The two approaches' strengths and weaknesses are explored and as a result a third theoretical stance is proffered: the idea of a cognitive continuum. According to this approach the systematic and intuitive theoretical camps occupy polar positions at either end of a continuum as opposed to separate theoretical planes. The methodological and professional benefits of adopting such a stance are also briefly outlined.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evidence-Based Nursing, Genesis 6, Science Park, University of York, York, YO10 5DQ, England. cat4@york.ac.uk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D001499:Bayes Theorem; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D019545:Intuition; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D009742:Nursing Theory; D012660:Semantics