Nurses' Critical Thinking Experiences in Nursing Care for Patient Safety: A Qualitative Study

Aim: To identify nurses' experiences of critical thinking (CT) in nursing care for patient safety. Method: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative design was used, including focus group interviews using purposive sampling; 19 nurses from one hospital served as participants. Results: This study identified themes, including 1) Recognition of the importance of nursing care; 2) Diminished competence; 3) Obstacles in completing performance tasks; and 4) Difficulty making care decisions. Conclusions: Four themes emerged from nurses' CT experiences. Nurses are responsible for providing standard nursing care, yet they still perceive their competency in delivering safe care to patients as suboptimal. Nurses still rely on the head nurse for complex clinical decision-making. Nurse managers should conduct critical thinking training to improve nursing care and achieve patient safety. For each case, this study is necessary for care planning, routine supervision, and competency improvement.