How Reasoning Strategies are Applied in my Specialty Area.
In developing interventions for improving the experiences and outcomes for intensive care unit (ICU) patients, various clinical reasoning strategies are often applied. One of the strategies most commonly used in this specialty area is the hypothetic-deductive model of reasoning. This reasoning strategy begins with the identification of initial cues about the patient or patient group, and then relevant information is developed to determine the causes of the cues and develop interventions. An example of the use of this strategy is Holdsworth et al. (2015). This study begins by hypothesizing that the mobilization of ICU patients is important, but there are attitude and belief barriers that prevent nurses from mobilizing patients. The researcher’s go-ahead to conduct a study of the nurses’ attitudes and beliefs with the help of a survey study and with the results they recommend interventions to help nurses improve the way they deal with patients. Needham (2008) also uses the same inquisitive strategy to determine how the mobilization of ICU patients can help to improve their physical functioning. In this case, the researcher performs an analysis of existing evidence to conclude that patients in ICU can enhance their physical activity for quicker recovery.