Abstract
This study considered the diagnostic reasoning skills employed by nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students and factors that may influence the diagnostic reasoning process. Diagnostic reasoning is a critical element of nurse practitioner practice. Components of the diagnostic reasoning process as practiced by nurse practitioners are reviewed and compared with diagnostic reasoning skills used in medical practice and nursing. Current methods used to measure expertise in diagnostic reasoning are reviewed. The novice-to-expert model as described by Dreyfus and Dreyfus and Benner is considered as relates to nurse practitioner practice.
The study evaluated a proposed model of factors that may have influence on the diagnostic reasoning of nurse practitioners. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between years of nurse practitioner experience, diagnostic reasoning ability and intuition. The relationship between diagnostic ability, intuition, age, GPA, and RN experience of nurse practitioner students and experienced nurse practitioners was also examined.
The study instrument incorporated two measures of diagnostic ability: the Nurse Practitioner Problem Set and the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory. The instrument also included an intuition measure, the Acknowledges Use of Intuition in Nursing Scale. Participants in the study were recruited at a large regional nurse practitioner conference and at two educational institutions with nurse practitioner programs. Surveys were completed by 164 practicing nurse practitioners and 65 nurse practitioner students.
Data analysis revealed a relationship between diagnostic skill performance and nurse practitioner experience. Data analysis also confirmed a relationship between diagnostic skills and experience, intuition, and age. Study results indicated an increase in diagnostic ability with age and experience, and a decrease in diagnostic ability with greater acknowledged use of intuition.
The study results suggest that the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory may be useful as a quantitative measure of nurse practitioner diagnostic reasoning skills in educational settings and future research. Study results related to use of intuition in nurse practitioners are contrary to what has been reported in other studies of nurses and intuition. Further study in this area is necessary to fully understand the role intuition plays in expert nurse practitioner diagnostic reasoning.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Diagnostic Skills, Clinical Skills, Nurse Practitioners
Advisors
Reio, Thomas||Lyons, Anne
Degree
PhD
Degree Grantor
University of Louisville
Degree Year
2006
Recommended Citation
King, Pamela L., "A consideration of diagnostic reasoning skills in nurse practitioners-measures and influences" (2022). Dissertations. 1295.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/1295
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2022-09-12
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3228036; ProQuest document ID: 305318454. The author still retains copyright.