A Beginner's Guide to Critical Thinking and Writing in Health and Social Care

by Aveyard, Helen; Sharp, Pam; Woolliams, Mary

• ISBN13: 9780335243662
• ISBN10: 0335243665
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-10-01
• Publisher: Open Univ Pr

Summary

Ever struggled to write a critical essay? Ever wondered what critical thinking actually is and how you can apply it in your academic work and your practice? This beginner's guide introduces the skills of critical thinking, critical writing and critical appraisal in health and social care, and talks you through every stage of becoming a critical thinker. Each chapter tackles a different aspect of the process and shows you how it's done using examples and simple language. The book begins with a broad overview of critical thinking before building in subsequent chapters to discuss specific areas including: How to think critically about different types of information as potential evidence How to demonstrate critical thinking in written work and presentations How to adopt critical thinking in practice Tools including six questions to trigger critical thinking " and questions for critical thinking in practice " will assist you in developing the skills to help you in both academic work and practice. Written by a bestselling author team, this book is a fantastic resource for both students and qualified healthcare staff.

Author Biography

Helen Aveyard is Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. UK and author of the bestselling book Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care, 2nd edition and A Beginner's Guide to Evidence Based Practice, both published by the Open University Press. Pam Sharp is Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, UK. She is co-author of A Beginner's Guide to Evidence Based Practice, published by the Open University Press. Mary Woolliams qualified as a nurse and health visitor in 1990, then specialised in acute general medical nursing and the care of older people. In 2003 Mary joined the School of Health and Social Care at Oxford Brookes University, UK as a Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing.

Table of Contents

About the authors	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
What is 'critical thinking' and why is it important?	p. 5
In this chapter we will:
Introduce and define critical thinking and say why it is important.
Give an example of critical thinking in action.
Introduce 'six questions to trigger critical thinking'.
Explore why critical thinking has become more important in recent years.
Explore how critical thinking can help you in your academic assignments and professional decision-making.
How you can think more critically about information that is readily available	p. 25
In this chapter we will:
Identify what is readily available information.
Discuss how to judge the quality and usefulness of this information.
Show how you can begin to think critically about the information you find and how to use it.
Being more critical: how you can find the 'best available' evidence	p. 37
In this chapter we will:
Explain why you need to dig a little deeper to find the æbest available' evidence.
Explore the value of using specific databases to search for evidence, and examine how to plan and search for evidence using specific databases.
Discuss how to find the best available evidence.
Discuss what type of research you should look for and how you know when you have found it.
How you can demonstrate your critical thinking skills in your written work and presentations	p. 64
In this chapter we will:
Discuss why it is important to incorporate critical flunking into your writing and presentations.
Discuss how you can recognize good critical writing and presentations.
Identify when you will need to incorporate critical thinking into your writing and presentations.
Explain how you can plan your written work and presentations effectively.
Discuss how you can present your critical thinking skills effectively in your writing and presentations.
How you can adopt critical thinking in your professional practice	p. 88
In this chapter we will:
Discuss the context and complexity of critical thinking in professional practice.
Explore how you can think critically about routine, relying on your experience and learning from others.
Discuss how you can identify and use skills for critical thinking within your practice.
Examine how you can develop a more in-depth approach to critical thinking.
Enable you to identify whether your workplace/placement has a critical approach to learning and development and discuss how to influence it.
Shaping the future: what is the role of critical thinking in the development of health and social care services?	p. 118
In this chapter we will:
Explore why critical thinking is important for developing a broader perspective in your personal, professional and academic life.
Discuss the changes influencing health and social care in the twenty-first century, and explore ways to respond to these as a critical thinker.
Describe what qualities and skills are needed to think critically from a broader perspective in relation to health and social care.
Discuss how you can broaden your horizons through networking with professionals and academics in different disciplines, professions and specialist fields.
Appendix: useful websites	p. 142
Glossary	p. 145
References	p. 148
Index	p. 154
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