Knowledge-driven problem-solving models in nursing education.

Abstract

This paper compares the hypothetico-deductive model of clinical problem solving commonly used in current nurse education and practice with the knowledge-driven problem-solving model (Bordage, Grant, & Marsden, 1990). It is argued that the knowledge-driven model provides a more complete account of the processes involved in clinical problem solving. The knowledge-driven model emphasizes the organization and availability of relevant content knowledge stored in memory as the prime determinant of clinical problem solving. This contention is discussed in relation to the development of a clinical problem-solving task for nursing students and its implications for nursing curricula.