Critical Thinking Dispositions of Emergency Nurses in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to determine the critical thinking dispositions of emergency nurses and any influencing factors related to critical thinking. The study is considered to respond to this need and contribute to the relevant literature. Method: The study was conducted with the participation of 248 emergency nurses. The study data were collected using an information form covering characteristics of the nurses and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The data were analyzed using independent-samples t test, independent-samples one-way variance analysis (F-test), and Pearson correlation test. Results: The critical thinking dispositions of the emergency nurses in the study group were found to be at medium level (246.76 +/- 23.24). It was found that the female emergency nurses had higher levels of critical thinking dispositions than that of male nurses. The emergency nurses with graduate degrees had higher levels of critical thinking dispositions than that of the nurses with other educational levels. It was demonstrated that age, marital status, experience, or participation in in-service emergency training and certificate program did not affect the critical thinking dispositions of the nurses. Conclusion: The results of the study reveal that the emergency nurses who are required to make quick and correct decisions. They need to develop their critical thinking skills and further studies should be conducted with more representative sample group. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2012;19:198-203