Cognitive skills in nursing practice / Saundra Lipe and Sharon Beasley.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

UNIT 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF COGNITIVE SKILLS:- 1. Critical thinking: Definition--Relationship to problem solving and decision making--The critical thinker--Intellectual standards in thinking--Process of critical thinking--Skills of critical thinking--Pitfalls in critical thinking--Summary--2. Problem Solving: Definition--Nursing process--Decision making--Steps in the problem-solving process--Problem-solving strategies--Pitfalls in problem solving--Summary--3. Decision making: Definition--Differentiating decision making from problem solving--Factors influencing decision making--Characteristics of an effective decision maker--Decision making in nursing--Approaches to participative decision making--Decision-making tools--Process of decision making--Errors in decision making--Summary--4. Priority setting:- Definition--Time management--Prioritizing patient needs--Prioritizing nursing diagnoses--Priority activities--Multitasking--Prioritizing within the nursing process--Pitfalls in priority setting--Summary--UNIT TWO: COGNITIVE SKILLS IN THE NURSING PROCESS:- 5. Nursing Process applications: Definition--Role of the nursing process--Steps of the nursing process--Care plan--Pitfalls-Summary--6. Delegation: Definition--Principles of Delegation--Five rights of delegation--Obstacles to delegation--Delegation procedure--Summary--7. Communication: Levels of communication--Verbal communication--Collaboration--Report skills--Conflict resolution--Physician notification--Written communication--Summary--8. Patient teaching: Applying the nursing process--Learning needs assessment--Analyzing needs--Outcome identification--Planning the lesson--Implementing the educational session--Evaluating the educational process--Summary--UNIT THREE: APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE SKILLS:- 9. Applying clinical reasoning to various practice settings: Definition--Reasoning--Guidelines for decision making--Application of cognitive skills--Clinical reasoning applications--Evaluating the workload--Knowledge and ability for varied settings--Pitfalls in clinical reasoning--Summary--10. Ethical Decision Making: Definition--Ethical guides--American nurses association code of ethics--Critical thinking--Process of ethical decision making--Ethics committees--Frequent areas of dilemma--Self determination--Professional caregiver issues--Pitfalls in ethical decision making--Summary--11. Applying nursing judgment in clinical settings: Definition--The decision-making process--Float nurse--Considerations when accepting assignments--Specialty nurse skills and competencies--Room assignment process--Pitfalls in nursing judgment--Summary.

This is an introduction of the concept of 'cognitive skills' (through processes) required of professional nurses. The text will serve as a supplement to a nursing fundamentals textbook, for use in conjunction with the second-semester skills component of the course.