The Relationship between Critical Thinking Skills and Caregiving Roles of Nurses

Background: Critical thinking is a skill highly needed by nurses to solve problems effectively and make the best decisions in clinical environments.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between critical thinking skills and the caregiving roles of nurses.

Methods: This descriptive study included 220 nurses working in a training and research hospital. The data were collected between February and March 2021 using an online questionnaire containing the “Nurse Information Form,” “Nursing Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice Questionnaire,” and “Attitude Scale for Nurses in Caregiving Roles (ASNCR).” The data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviation, Shapiro–Wilk, and Spearman’s correlation tests.

Results: The nurses’ mean age was 30.35 ± 7.25 years and they were mostly female (98.2%) and had bachelor’s degree (69.1%), single (51.4%), and worked as nurses for 7.71 ± 7.54 mean years. The lowest mean score received by nurses from the Nursing Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice Questionnaire was (Mean = 19.54, SD = 4.02) in the technical dimension, and their lowest mean score was from the ASNCR was from the attitude towards nurses’ roles in treatment process dimension (Mean = 4.26, SD = 0.76). A moderate, positive, and statistically significant (P < 0.001) correlation was found between the total scores and dimension scores of both scales.

Conclusions: This study found that caregiving roles and critical thinking levels of nurses were above the mean score. It is important to increase the awareness of nurses about critical thinking and decision-making skills in the professional education process. Nurse managers may take an active role in nurturing critical thinking skills for effective outcomes.