A Review for Concept Clarification of Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Education

Abstract

Purpose: This article is a comprehensive review for concept clarification of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgment, which still lack a consensus and are of mixed use. Methods: Norris’s method of concept clarification was used to review concepts that have no clear definition or conceptualization yet. Results: This review summarized literature from various disciplines, classified each concept based on similarities and differences, and provided hypothetic conceptual schema. Conclusion: Clinical reasoning and clinical judgment are clinical situation specific concepts, while critical thinking is a concept applied in general situations. Critical thinking is a broader concept and serves as a foundation for clinical reasoning and clinical judgment. Clinical reasoning precedes clinical judgment. Clinical judgement implies the end point or conclusion of clinical reasoning. Each of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgment is a cognitive and affective process not a psychomotor process. The concept of clinical competency involves action taken after the cognitive processes of clinical reasoning and clinical judgment.