title: Enhancing critical thinking in clinical practice: implications for critical and acute care nurses.
abstract: The complexity of patients in the critical and acute care settings requires that nurses be skilled in early recognition and management of rapid changes in patient condition. The interpretation and response to these events can greatly impact patient outcomes. Nurses caring for these complex patients are expected to use astute critical thinking in their decision making. The purposes of this article were to explore the concept of critical thinking and provide practical strategies to enhance critical thinking in the critical and acute care environment.
authors.affiliation: Bridget Shoulders, MS, ACNP-BC, CCRN-CMC, is a nurse practitioner in the cardiology department at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida. Corrinne Follett, MS, FNP-BC, CCRN, RN-BC, RCIS, is a nurse practitioner in the cardiology department at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida. Joyce Eason, MS, ANP-BC, RN-BC, is a nurse practitioner in the cardiology department at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shoulders
authors.forename: Corrinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Follett
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eason
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D003657:Decision Making; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D006801:Humans; D009736:Nursing Process; D013850:Thinking