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Joanne Profetto-McGrath

Publications and source records attributed to Joanne Profetto-McGrath.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Critical thinking as an outcome of context-based learning among post RN students: a literature review.

Increasingly complex needs and expanding roles in the delivery of health care require professional nurses to be capable critical thinkers and self-directed learners. Problem-based learning (PBL) is promoted as a mean to facilitate critical thinking (CT) in nursing students attending generic and post RN baccalaureate programs. The authors summarize and analyze nursing research and theoretical literature (1992-2005) related to four key topic areas: critical thinking, nursing education, PBL, and post RN education, to determine what is known about the impact of PBL on CT among post RN students. CINAHL, ERIC, Medline and PsychINFO databases were searched and based on the literature retrieved, there is no strong research evidence to suggest changes occur in baccalaureate nursing students' CT during their educational programs, including those using PBL. Similar results were found among post RN students although the literature on this topic is sparse. There is a need for additional research and ongoing development of valid and reliable instruments to measure CT in nurses to guide teaching and learning strategies that effectively facilitate CT among nursing students.

Education, Nursing↗
PubMed2005

An inventory of nursing education research.

PURPOSE: To describe nursing education research literature in terms of quality, content areas under investigation, geographic location of the research, research designs utilized, sample sizes, instruments used to collect data, and funding sources. DESIGN AND METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative research literature published between January 1991 and December 2000 were identified and classified using an author-generated Relevance Tool. FINDINGS: 1286 articles were accepted and entered into the inventory, and an additional 22 were retained as references as they were either literature reviews or meta-analyses. Not surprisingly, 90% of nursing education research was generated in North America and Europe, the industrialised parts of the world. Of the total number of articles accepted into the inventory, 61% were quantitative research based. The bulk of the research was conducted within the confines of a course or within a program, with more than half based in educational settings. Sample sizes of the research conducted were diverse, with a bare majority using a sample between 50 and 99 participants. More than half of the studies used questionnaires to obtain data. Surprising, 80% of the research represented in these articles was not funded. The number of publications of nursing education research generated yearly stabilised at approximately 120 per year. CONCLUSION: Research programs on teaching and learning environments and practice in nursing education need to be developed. Lobbying is needed to increase funding for this type of research at national and international levels.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2005

Sources of practice knowledge among nurses.

Several studies have been published listing sources of practice knowledge used by nurses. However, the authors located no studies that asked clinicians to describe comprehensively and categorize the kinds of knowledge needed to practice or in which the researchers attempted to understand how clinicians privilege various knowledge sources. In this article, the authors report findings from two large ethnographic case studies in which sources of practice knowledge was a subsidiary theme. They draw on data from individual and card sort interviews, as well as participant observations, to identify nurses' sources of practice knowledge. Their findings demonstrate that nurses categorize their sources of practice knowledge into four broad groupings: social interactions, experiential knowledge, documents, and a priori knowledge. The insights gained add new understanding about sources of knowledge used by nurses and challenge the disproportionate weight that proponents of the evidence-based movement ascribe to research knowledge.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Profiling Canadian nurses' preferred knowledge sources for clinical practice.

Several researchers have examined nurses' knowledge sources within the context of research utilization, but conclusions are equivocal. Common problems include a lack of replication, conflicting results, poor generalizability of results, and unclear implications for practice. The objectives of this study were to: (a) describe sources of knowledge and their frequency of use among staff nurses across 7 surgical units, (b) compare knowledge-source patterns across the units, (c) determine whether knowledge-source preferences correlate to research utilization scores, and (d) profile staff nurses' knowledge-source patterns over time. A total of 230 nurses in 5 adult and 2 pediatric surgical units from 4 hospitals in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario completed a self-administered survey. The results were compared to the findings of previous studies. Nurses' knowledge-source preferences were consistent across the 7 units despite differences in education and in research utilization scores. Across all units, nurses preferred to use knowledge gained through personal experience and interactions with co-workers and with individual patients rather than journal articles or textbooks. These findings are consistent with the longitudinal comparison in the 2 earlier studies. In contrast to the knowledge privileged by nurse clinicians, researchers tend to place greater value on research-based knowledge than on experience-based knowledge. To increase research utilization in the practice setting, researchers and others need first to understand the reasons behind clinicians' valuing of experiential and social knowledge sources and then to consider research dissemination and implementation strategies that are more closely aligned with clinician preferences.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

The questioning skills of tutors and students in a context based baccalaureate nursing program.

This paper explores, describes and compares the types and levels of questions asked by 30 randomly selected tutors (nurse educators) and their 314 students in context-based learning tutorial seminars in a Canadian baccalaureate nursing program. Thirty 90-min seminars were audio taped, transcribed and coded using a Questioning Framework designed for this study. The framework includes types and levels of questions, related wording and examples. The results of this study indicate that the majority of questions asked by tutors and students in the first three years of the program were framed at the low level (knowledge, comprehension, and application) and were aimed at seeking yes/no responses and factual information more so than probing. Although these questions are important to facilitate the teaching/learning process, educators and students need to increase the number of questions requiring analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as well as questions that involve probing, exploration, and explanation - questions believed to activate and facilitate critical thinking skills. Recommendations include the need for students and tutors to be taught how to question, the creation of a supportive environment for questioning and the use of appropriate strategies to teach the use of higher order questions. Future research using a cross sectional longitudinal design and qualitative approaches are also recommended. This study has direct implications for enhancing student learning and the development of nurse educators.

Canada↗
PubMed2003

The relationship of critical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions of baccalaureate nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Critical thinking is essential to nursing practice; therefore, knowledge and understanding of nursing students' critical thinking skills (CTS) and related dispositions are important to nurse educators. This paper presents the results of a non-experimental study conducted in spring 1998, identifies implications for nurse educators, and offers recommendations for future research. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the CTS and critical thinking dispositions (CTD) of students enrolled in a 4-year baccalaureate programme at a university in Western Canada. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional design. Data collection occurred during regularly scheduled classes. A volunteer sample of 228 students from all 4 years of the baccalaureate programme completed a background/demographic questionnaire, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The reliability of the test and inventory were established using the Kuder Richardson 20 and Cronbach Alpha respectively. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were carried out. FINDINGS: Critical thinking mean scores increased from years 1 to 4 with the exception of year 3. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the four student groups. Although differences in critical thinking disposition scores were not statistically significant, students' scores differed significantly on the systematicity subscale. There was a significant relationship between students' overall CTS and CTD scores. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 38% of the students in the current study had adequate levels of CTS and 85.5% of the students had adequate levels of CTD. Results indicate a need for students' continued development in these areas. Dispositions are crucial to critical thinking; without them critical thinking does not happen or may be substandard.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

A study of critical thinking and research utilization among nurses.

Previous studies have suggested that critical thinking influences research utilization; however, empirical support for the link between critical thinking dispositions and research utilization is nonexistent. In this article, critical thinking dispositions and research utilization habits are detailed, and the relationship of critical thinking dispositions to research utilization in a sample of 141 nurses working on two acute surgical units and five pediatric units in four tertiary care hospitals are examined. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between the total critical thinking disposition score and overall research utilization. Overall critical thinking disposition correlates significantly with all forms of research utilization, with the exception of symbolic research utilization. These findings indicate a need to foster critical thinking in both nursing education and the work environment.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Critical thinking and evidence-based practice.

Critical thinking (CT) is vital to evidence-based nursing practice. Evidence-based practice (EBP) supports nursing care and can contribute positively to patient outcomes across a variety of settings and geographic locations. The nature of EBP, its relevance to nursing, and the skills needed to support it should be required components of baccalaureate education and must be introduced early in students' development as independent, self-directed learners and as professional nurses. Among the knowledge, skills, and processes needed to support EBP, CT is paramount. The development of CT can prepare nurses with the necessary skills and dispositions (habits of mind, attitudes, and traits) to support EBP. The intents of this study were to explore the importance of CT as an essential skill to support EBP and to describe some of the strategies and processes considered key to the ongoing development of CT.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Implementing nursing practice guidelines: a complex undertaking.

Clinical practice guidelines have been proposed to significantly reduce the gap between available scientific evidence and clinical practice. Evidence-based guidelines are also being produced at an ever-increasing pace. However, guidelines do not implement themselves, and the research to support implementation does not provide straightforward answers. What works in one setting does not necessarily work in another. In short, guideline implementation and change of practice is complex and messy. The purpose of this article is to discuss the implementation of clinical practice guidelines using the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework. More specifically, 3 key components are highlighted: (1) the evidence base for guideline recommendations, (2) the clinical context where guidelines are to be implemented, and (3) the nature of facilitation needed to ensure a successful change process. An overview of the literature in the field is provided, and the authors' experiences are shared, and a few recommendations are tentatively provided.

Canada↗