Making informed choices based on assessment results, patient records, and evidence-based practice recommendations is a crucial part of nursing practice. It is a complicated process that necessitates nurses applying their knowledge, skills, and judgment to identify patient needs, prioritize care, and create suitable measures that foster positive outcomes. This blog will help you understand the decision-making process, various models, etc., which form the critical aspects of clinical decision making in nursing.

Decision-making can vary from quick, intuitive, or heuristic choices to thoughtful, analytical, evidence-based decisions that direct patient and client care.

What is clinical decision-making?

Decisions can be made quickly, naturally, analytically, and using solid proof. All of us make life’s choices, from the straightforward to the intricate, those involving patients and clients to those pertaining to our personal lives.

Clinical decision-making in nursing is the process by which nurses use their clinical knowledge, evidence-based practice, and critical thinking to make decisions about patient care.

It entails collecting and analyzing patient data, determining the requirements and problems of patients, prioritizing care, and creating and putting into practice efficient interventions to produce desirable patient outcomes.

An Effective Practitioner is called upon to make clinical decisions throughout a patient’s health and care journey. Clinical decision-making is a balancing act between experience, consciousness, knowledge, and information seeking. Your coworkers, the right assessment tools, and evidence-based practice can guide you.

Clinical decision-making process

Making a clinical decision usually starts with collecting the necessary information and ends with the decision and its outcome. This shouldn’t be perceived as a strictly linear process because one step can influence another, and you might decide to skip to another step as new information becomes available.

Here are the typical steps in the process;

• Assessment

This is done using signs, methodically collecting and analyzing patient data from direct observations, listening to patients’ stories and complaints, reviewing patient records, looking at lab results, using decision-making tools and assessment data, and, for instance, looking at unusual behaviors.

• Making judgments

This is achieved using patient data and making assumptions. These assumptions can be about what might be happening, exploring for patterns, determining your information requirements, and identifying the people who can give you the information you’re missing. It can also examine the evidence to back your assumptions and decide who you should engage or consult.

Applying your intuition such as the red flags, your gut feeling relying on your knowledge of the area – to draw conclusions and prioritize these judgments in accordance with the present pattern.

• Making critical decisions

Making decisions about what to do, how to do it, and who may need to be notified and engaged. This can include coworkers and the patient or person at the center of the decision-making process.

• Evaluation

This step involves assessing the result of choice to see if the intended result has been reached. This step may necessitate consulting with others or gathering more data to reach additional conclusions and decisions.

The theories of clinical decision-making in nursing

Clinical decision-making theories offer a framework for comprehending how medical professionals make decisions regarding patient treatment. These theories support the systematic collection, interpretation, and evaluation of patient data by healthcare professionals.

They also give their consideration of various treatment choices and decision-making that favors the best interests of patients. Below are some of the widely used clinical decision-making theories in nursing;

• Clinical reasoning theory

This theory emphasizes the significance of critical thinking and reasoning in clinical decision-making in nursing. Clinical reasoning is an approach nurses use to evaluate complicated and confusing patient data, develop theories about the patient’s state, and develop meaningful interventions.

• Decision-making theory

According to this theory, clinical decision-making entails weighing the benefits and risks of various possibilities before deciding on the one with the highest expected value. Nurses use decision-making tools and methods to choose the most appropriate action in complex and uncertain circumstances.

• Shared decision-making theory

The theory points out the importance of working with patients and their loved ones to decide on patient treatment in a way that benefits everyone. Shared decision-making allows nurses to engage patients in decision-making while facilitating clear and effective communication.

Patients are informed about their situation and available treatments.

• Information processing theory

According to this theory, clinical decision-making includes a variety of cognitive functions, such as perception, attention, recollection, and problem-solving. Nurses use these procedures to collect and examine patient data, recognize issues, and develop treatment options.

• Evidence-based practice theory

This theory stresses the importance of basing clinical judgments on the best available research evidence. Nurses use research studies and evidence-based practice guidelines to make decisions and ensure that the most recent and credible research supports interventions.

Nurses can develop their decision-making abilities and deliver patient-centered care by understanding these theories of clinical decision-making. These theories offer a structure for assessing the efficacy of clinical decision-making interventions and creating new plans to enhance nursing practice decision-making.

Clinical decision-making models

Clinical decision-making models are systematic approaches nurses use to make informed and appropriate patient care judgments. These models offer nurses a well-organized basis for evaluating patients’ requirements, identifying issues, and creating and implementing interventions.

Nurses can deliver top-notch, dependable, efficient, and patient-centered treatment using clinical decision-making models. There are several clinical decision-making models used in nursing practice, but here are some of the most common ones;

• Clinical reasoning

This model calls for using critical thinking abilities to evaluate and analyze patient data, determine patient issues, and develop meaningful interventions. It involves cognitive processes such as data analysis, hypothesis creation, and clinical judgment.

• Evidence-based practice

This approach calls for using the most up-to-date scientific data to guide clinical judgment. Nursing professionals base their decisions on the most recent and credible research using evidence-based practice standards and research studies.

• The nursing processes

This is a step-by-step model with five steps: examination, diagnosis, preparation, action, and evaluation. This process gives nurses a framework for determining patient needs, creating care plans, and tracking patient development.

• Decision analysis

In this approach, the ideal move to take is determined by using decision-making methods and tools through challenging and uncertain circumstances. Decision analysis entails weighing the positive and negative aspects of different alternatives and choosing the one with the highest overall value.

• Shared decision making

This model entails working with the families of patients to make informed and collectively agreed decisions about patient care. Shared decision-making includes open and effective communication, educating patients about their conditions and available treatments, and involving them in decision-making.

Clinical decision-making models give nurses a structured way to handle patient care and support appropriate, efficient, evidence-based interventions. Depending on the requirements of the patient and the clinical situation, nurses may combine different models to help them make decisions. However, each model has strengths and limitations of its own.

Examples of clinical decision-making in nursing

• Diseases related to catheter

Based on various academic studies, Boston Medical Center determined that Foley catheters were the root of 9% of hospital-acquired diseases in its patients. The hospital formed a task group, including urologists, other medical professionals, nurse managers, and nurse educators.

The group determined the issues and implemented instructions for infection protection. Between 2013 and 2017, the initiative caused an 83% reduction in infections connected to catheters.

• Covid-19 initiatives

The condition of hospitalized COVID-19 patients during a pandemic could cause serious issues. Skilled nurses choose the patients most likely to need urgent treatment based on their knowledge of patient care and an analysis of COVID-19 patients they treated previously.

Nurses could respond quickly to elaborate and constantly changing information because they relied mainly on their healthcare facilities and experience rather than guidelines in decision-making.

• Patient falls

Fall-related accidents among hospital patients are common. Researchers look into the success of a data analytics application for patients and the elderly to avoid falls.

Clinical judgment and decision making

Clinical judgment and decision-making refer to the process of selecting the most effective approach for a given clinical situation based on the facts at hand and clinical expertise. It entails assessing several variables, including the patient’s medical history, symptoms, and test findings, in order to make a diagnosis and create a treatment strategy.

Healthcare professionals must combine their knowledge, abilities, and expertise to make the best patient decisions.

They must consider a variety of things, including the patient’s unique circumstances, the available resources and treatments, and the possible risks and advantages of various interventions. In addition, clinical judgment and decision-making for nursing students are critical in developing solid clinical judgment and decision-making skills to become competent nurses.

Clinical judgment and decision-making are key aspects of providing patients with high-quality care. Avoiding unnecessary tests and treatments can help improve health outcomes and lower healthcare expenses.

Conclusion

Clinical decision-making in nursing is an essential component. To make wise and appropriate choices about patient care, nurses must rely on their expertise, critical thinking abilities, and experience. Nursing professionals can deliver excellent patient care and enhance health outcomes by making wise clinical decisions. Nursing professionals can improve their clinical decision-making abilities with ongoing education and training, enabling them to give their patients the best treatment possible. If you did find this blog helpful, then there is no doubt you will love it even more at bestnursingwritingservices.com.