Janet Harris, MA, PhD

Bergen University College;

Bergen, Norway

Gambrill E. Critical thinking in clinical practice: improving the quality of judgements and decisions. 2nd edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005.

In this book, Eileen Gambrill cites 3 reasons for failing to make well-reasoned clinical decisions: (1) failure to recognise our own ignorance; (2) lack of information about the problem; and (3) failure to get information.1 These reasons are familiar to all evidence-based practitioners, but rarely do we have an opportunity to review the research evidence for effective decision making. Gambrill draws upon an impressive range of research in the field of critical thinking to explore the factors that influence our ability to make decisions.

Why is critical thinking important in clinical practice? Practitioners are routinely trained to make decisions on a daily basis. But as we become …