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conferenceseries.com
Volume 6, Issue 3 (Suppl) J Nurs Care
ISSN: 2167-1168 JNC, an open access journal Nursing Edu 2017
May 22- 24, 2017
May 22- 24, 2017 Osaka, Japan
20th World Nursing
Education Conference
A protocol for the development of a critical thinking assessment tool for nurses
Elisabeth R Jacob1, Christine Duffield 1,2 and Darren Jacob1
1Edith Cowan University, Australia
2University Technology Sydney
Statement of the Problem: The increasing number of complex patients admitted to hospitals requires registered nurses to be able
to recognise complications and picking up on deterioration. Advanced critical thinking skills are required to detect early signs of
complications. Registered nurses are expected to commence their clinical careers with appropriate critical thinking skills to ensure
safe nursing practice. Despite the importance of critical thinking in ensuring patient safety and enabling detection of changes in
patients’ conditions, no standardised critical thinking tool specific to nurses is available in Australia to assess these skills in nursing.
The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment tool to measure the critical thinking ability of nurses.
Methodology &Theoretical Orientation: A modified Delphi study was used for the development of the critical thinking assessment
tool. Funding for the study and ethical approval were obtained in 2016. The case scenarios for the questions were developed
using national health data. Face validity was determined by an expert reference group of clinical and academic nurses. Case study
answers were developed using a modified Delphi study. Panel members were expert clinicians and educators. Rasch analysis of the
questionnaire was used to assess validity and reliability of the tool.
Findings: The use of a modified Delphi study and Rasch analysis provided an effective way of developing a validated assessment tool
for critical thinking.
Conclusion & Significance: Critical thinking skills are vital to ensure patient safety and improve surveillance. This project reported
on the development of a critical thinking assessment tool to provide a consistent method of measuring nurses’ critical thinking skills
for Australian nurses. The ability to assess this skill will provide health care facilities with greater confidence in the critical thinking
skill level of newly graduate registered nurses and ensure high levels of patient care are maintained.
Biography
Elisabeth Jacob is currently the Associate Dean (Nursing) for the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University. She practiced clinically as a registered
nurse for over 20 years in both rural and metropolitan hospitals where she developed her interest in nursing education and workforce. She has experience in nursing
management and education and practiced in medical, emergency and intensive care wards. Elisabeth’s research interests include: development of the nursing
workforce; skill mix and its effect on patient outcomes; critical thinking and patient outcomes; and mixed methods research.
Darren Jacob is a Staff Development Nurse Emergency Department at Joondalup Health Service and a research assistant at Edith Cowan University. He is
interested in the areas of emergency department patient flow and design, advanced nursing roles, workforce education and deteriorating patients.
Elisabeth R Jacob et al., J Nurs Care 2017, 6:3 (Suppl)