title: [Clinical reasoning in nursing, concept analysis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nurses work in situations of complex care requiring great clinical reasoning abilities. In literature, clinical reasoning is often confused with other concepts and it has no consensual definition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a concept analysis of a nurse's clinical reasoning in order to clarify, define and distinguish it from the other concepts as well as to better understand clinical reasoning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rodgers's method of concept analysis was used, after literature was retrieved with the use of clinical reasoning, concept analysis, nurse, intensive care and decision making as key-words.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of cognition, cognitive strategies, a systematic approach of analysis and data interpretation, generating hypothesis and alternatives are attributes of clinical reasoning. The antecedents are experience, knowledge, memory, cues, intuition and data collection. The consequences are decision making, action, clues and problem resolution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This concept analysis helped to define clinical reasoning, to distinguish it from other concepts used synonymously and to guide future research.
authors: Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. sarah.cote@usherbrooke.ca
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Côté
authors: Denise
authors: D
authors: St-Cyr Tribble
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D009736:Nursing Process; D011340:Problem Solving; D013850:Thinking