Theoretical bases of critical thinking in ibero-american nursing: Integrative literature review

Abstract

Objective: to identify the theoretical bases that underpin the concepts of critical thinking in Ibero-American nursing in the last ten years. Method: integrative literature review carried out in the PubMed, CUIDEN and SciELO databases, between 2006 and 2015, using the key words nursing and critical thinking. Results: 32 studies were included, which revealed the presence of nine thinkers as theoretical bases for the concept of critical thinking. It was found that there is no uniformity for the definition of the concept; however, two conceptions of critical thinking differ between authors, which were organized into two groups. Group A, composed of Alfaro-Lefevre, Peter Facione, Scheffer and Rubenfeld, Richard Paul; authors who understand that critical thinking involves skills for clinical reasoning and diagnosis, essential to decision making, and group B, consisting of John Dewey, Donald Schön, Paulo Freire and Jürgen Habermas, who understand critical thinking as an active reflective process, focused on the development of critical consciousness. These thinkers were the basis for the proposal of thought evaluation tools, teaching strategies and a theoretical-methodological nursing framework. Conclusion: the dynamic perspective of group B strengthens the dialectical character of knowledge construction, from which nursing has the potential to build itself as a social and practical science, committed to the transformation of realities.