Nurses' decision-making in different clinical environments

Abstract

In the current hospital environment, professional nurses are charged with patient safety and are to respond as the first response team on nursing units. Nurses need clinical-decision-making skills to provide safe and competent care. Different nursing practice may result in different types of decisions (Bakalis & Watson, 2005). The purpose of this quantitative exploratory study is to identify and compare what clinical decisions are made by nurses in different clinical environments; medical, surgical and intensive care units. This is a replication of the Bakalis and Watson’s (2005) study. The study by Bakalis and Watson (2005) did not elect to directly apply a decision-making theory due to the scope of clinical areas involved in the study. However, Bakalis and Watson (2005) reference a study by Rhodes (1985) which states, models of practice are effectively decision-making models. The sample will consist of 120 medical, surgical and ICU registered nurses from a large Midwestern Urban Hospital. The Clinical Decision-Making Questionnaire (CDMQ) will consider 3 factors of decision-making; direct patient care, supervision and management decisions, and decisions related to nurses extended roles (Bakalis & Watson, 2005). The findings of this study will identify what clinical decisions are made in clinical settings.