DQ 1 : Discuss what critical thinking in nursing practice entails and explain why it is important.
Two definitions and a third question about outcomes. The two terms are not synonyms, and the third question is only answerable if you have kept them apart.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 18, 2026
Critical thinking and EBP are not the same competency
Define the two terms so that they do different work, because the third sentence of the prompt depends on it. Critical thinking is disciplined judgement about a particular situation: noticing what is salient, questioning the obvious interpretation, holding more than one explanation open, and deciding under uncertainty with incomplete information. Evidence-based practice is the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise and patient values. One is a cognitive process applied to this patient in front of you; the other is a body of knowledge and a method for bringing it to bear. They need each other in both directions. Critical thinking without evidence is intuition, which is unreliable and unteachable; evidence without critical thinking is protocol application, which fails the moment a patient does not resemble the trial population. Neither term names a personality; both name something a nurse can be observed doing or failing to do.
Then answer the outcomes question with a route rather than an assertion. The chain worth describing is concrete: a nurse notices a change that does not fit the working diagnosis — a post-operative patient whose confusion is being attributed to age — questions it rather than documenting it, considers hypoxia, sepsis and medication as alternatives, and escalates. That is critical thinking producing an outcome. Evidence-based practice enters because knowing that delirium in older post-operative patients is common, under-recognised and associated with mortality is what made the nurse question the interpretation in the first place. Give one worked example like that, from your own practice if you have one, and name the outcome that changed. Failure to rescue is the concept the literature uses for what happens when this chain breaks, and citing it turns a general claim about safety into a specific, measurable one. Choose the clinical example before drafting the definitions.
Likely learning objectives
- Define critical thinking as a process rather than a trait.
- Define evidence-based practice as a method integrating three sources.
- Explain why each is insufficient without the other.
- Trace a concrete route from thinking to a patient outcome.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
NRS 430 Topic 2 DQ 1 DQ 1 : Discuss what critical thinking in nursing practice entails and explain why it is important. Define critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Discuss what critical thinking in nursing practice entails and explain why it is important. Discuss the role of critical thinking and evidence-based practice as they relate to patient outcomes.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A definition of critical thinking.
- 02A definition of evidence-based practice.
- 03A statement of how the two differ.
- 04One worked clinical example showing both operating.
- 05A named outcome affected, ideally a measurable one.
Two definitions, then the route to patient outcomes
Critical thinking, defined as a process
Give a definition with observable components rather than a trait description.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Components a nurse could be observed doing.
Evidence-based practice, defined as integration
Name the three sources EBP integrates.
What the assessor is likely looking for
All three sources, including patient values.
Why neither is sufficient alone
Show intuition and protocol application as the two failure modes.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A failure mode for each, described concretely.
The route to a patient outcome
Work one clinical case from observation to escalation.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A moment where an alternative explanation was considered.
When the chain breaks
Name failure to rescue and what it measures.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A measurable consequence, cited rather than asserted.
Where critical thinking is defined rigorously
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central
- CINAHL Complete
- NCBI Bookshelf
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Search sequence
- 1.Read a rigorous definition of critical thinking before using the term.
- 2.Find nursing evidence on clinical judgement or failure to rescue.
- 3.Read an EBP overview for the three-source definition.
- 4.Choose the clinical example before writing, so the definitions can be tuned to it.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Critical Thinking
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy · 2022
A rigorous account of critical thinking as a process with identifiable components.
Evidence-Based Medicine
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024
Evidence-based practice defined as the integration of evidence, expertise and patient values.
Nursing Professional Development Evidence-Based Practice
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Evidence-based practice in nursing professional development, for the practice-level view.
Diagnostic Errors
AHRQ Patient Safety Network · 2019
Diagnostic error — what happens when the alternative explanation is never considered.
Nurses' roles in changing practice through implementing best practices: A systematic review
Health SA Gesondheid · 2022
Nurses implementing best practice, for the link between judgement and outcome.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Treating the two terms as synonyms and answering one question twice.
- Defining critical thinking as being a good thinker.
- Asserting improved outcomes without a route from thinking to outcome.
- Giving an example where no alternative interpretation was ever in play.
Submission checklist
- Do your two definitions do different work?
- Have you said what each is missing without the other?
- Does your example contain a moment of questioning?
- Is the outcome you name measurable?
- Have you cited something more rigorous than a course text?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.
Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.