Decision‐making styles, anxiety levels, and critical thinking levels of nurses

Abstract

Aim This research was carried out so as to reveal the relationships between the anxiety state of nurses, their critical thinking disposition, and decision‐making strategies. Methods Survey forms and scales that were related to demographic attributes, anxiety, critical thinking and decision‐making were used in this research. The sampling was formed with 326 nurses who were selected by using the random sampling method. The data were collected between November, 2014 and January, 2015 via a Descriptive Information Form, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Decision‐Making Strategies Scale. Results Of the nurses, 91.4% were discovered to have low critical thinking disposition levels. The nurses’ scores in analytics, open‐mindedness, and curiosity were higher, compared to the other categories. As for decision‐making, independent decision‐making was the most commonly used strategy. There was a poor positive relationship between the age of the nurses and their points of independent decision‐making and intuitive decision‐making. It was detected that age and open‐mindedness affected the total points of independent decision‐making, intuitive decision‐making, and rational decision‐making. Conclusion The critical thinking training of nurses affects their rational decision‐making levels and their age affects independent, intuitive, and rational decision‐making. Systematicity affects only indecision in a negative way, whereas open‐mindedness negatively affects intuitive decision‐making, rational decision‐making, and indecision. Anxiety negatively affects independent decision‐making, whereas it affects indecision strategy positively. The working style of nurses does not affect their decision‐making strategies. Indecision strategy is negatively predicted by open‐mindedness, systematicity, and self‐confidence and it is positively predicted by anxiety.

State anxiety levels of nurses providing care to patients with COVID‐19 in Turkey

“…21 Compared with studies conducted before the Covid-19 outbreak, the state anxiety levels of nurses were higher in this study. 16,22,23 This aspect can be associated with uncertainty, fear of being infected and infecting others, and concerns about shortages of staff and of personal protective equipment due to the outbreak of new infectious diseases such as COVID-19. 9,10,24 In light of these findings, we can say that the state anxiety levels of the nurses providing care for patients with COVID-19 are high.…”

“…The sample calculation was made with known average scores of the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The known average score of the state subscale, which is calculated by the number of samples, was based on a reference 16 . The sample size of the study was calculated with the known score (37.1 ± 8.9) using the formula n = (t2 × s2)/d2 and determined to be 1217 nurses 17 .…”

“…The known average score of the state subscale, which is calculated by the number of samples, was based on a reference. 16 The sample size of the study was calculated with the known score (37.1 ± 8.9) using the formula n = (t2 × s2)/d2 and determined to be 1217 nurses. 17 The study sample consisted of 1457 nurses who met the inclusion criteria: they were aged 18 years and older, they provided care to patients with COVID-19, and they consented to participate in the study.…”

Effect of Anxiety on Empathy: An Observational Study Among Nurses

“…In relation to privacy, we observed that anxiety does not influence the nurses' concept of privacy. This could be explained because privacy is a complex concept, defined by four elements: (i) solitude, (ii) reserve, (iii) intimacy, and (iv) anonymity [52], and some of them are impossible to apply correctly in the nursing work environment, where they are more focused on privacy from a physical dimension but not from a psychosocial dimension [53]. About self-reliance, it is a competence associated with the self-confidence in your own ability to make decisions [54].…”

Anxiety and its association with perceived stress and insomnia among nurses fighting against COVID‐19 in Wuhan: A cross‐sectional survey

“…Nursing requires intensive concentration and independent thinking to make health‐related decisions for patients. Anxiety can interfere with the ability of nurses to make appropriate decisions (Polat et al, 2019) and can thus result in mistakes and a reduction of nursing quality.…”