Module 4

How did the readings influence your perception of your own clinical decision-making?

I've never really taken a good, hard look at how I make clinical decisions until after I completed the readings for this module. I tend to think of myself more logical--relying on my observations and hard data to make decisions regarding the nursing care of my patients. Then I started to remember some of my encounters where I let my intuition pepper my judgment--often resulting in favorable outcomes for the children I care for. Truly and expert nurse has to combine both evidence based (logical) concepts with intuition to be successful.
The emergence of new CDS systems, I feel, will benefit our profession. During times when quick decisions are needed, these systems can provide guidance for determining the best course of action. I'd like to learn more about how these systems are created and perhaps, someday, become involved in contributing to them. In my own experience, I worked in a pediatric clinical specialty where there was no existing protocol for dealing with emergent calls from parents. I worked with the reception staff, providers and other nurses to establish a protocol (if-then model) to guide individuals who took these calls to the appropriate course of action. It felt good to make a difference in the clinic--parents and pracitioners were much happier.