title: Improving critical thinking and clinical reasoning with a continuing education course.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Continuing education courses related to critical thinking and clinical reasoning are needed to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study evaluated a 4-day, 16-hour continuing education course conducted in Brazil.Thirty-nine nurses completed a pretest and a posttest consisting of two written case studies designed to measure the accuracy of nurses' diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in accuracy from pretest to posttest for case 1 (p = .008) and case 2 (p = .042) and overall (p = .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuing education courses should be implemented to improve the accuracy of nurses' diagnoses.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Saõ Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dina Monteiro
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Cibele Mattos
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pimenta
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lunney