Research on clinical decision making: Challenges for professional disciplines

摘要

Clinical decision making is central to nursing research, education and professional practice. It is a complex process that involves nurses' understandings of the interaction among knowledge of pre-existing pathological conditions, patient data, clinical experience, and clinical judgment (Banning, 2008). Through clinical decision making the clinician identifies, prioritizes, establishes plans, and evaluates data.A major issue in clinical decision-making is the educational level, preparation, and experience of the nurses who are formulating decisions. Thus, any research on the topic must take into account the professional's educational experience. But the knowledge development process for understanding clinical decision making requires the scientist to also take into account the complexity of the patient's clinical condition and the interactions among family members as these affect the patient.The use of a decision-making framework to guide clinical decision making by students and practicing nurses fosters the integration of knowledge, skills, and confidence. While there has been much attention to clinical decision making in nursing education, there is less of a research focus, most often due to the complexity of clinical decision making itself. The scientific understandings are further complicated as nurses are encouraged to engage patients/clients in the decision making process regarding their care, another factor that would require attention in the research process. Above all, clinical decision making is about the welfare of the patient, doing what is best in his or her interest.