Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions

by Gambrill, Eileen

• ISBN13: 9780470904381
• ISBN10: 0470904380
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The knowledge and skills of critical thinking, evidence-based practice, problem solving, judgment, and decision making are essential to effectively serve clients in all types of clinical practices. This book teaches clinicians and students how to avoid fallacies and biases in thinking as well as the skills to make well-informed, ethical decisions. Grounded in the belief that clinical decision making is a challenging process that can be improved by honing the skills integral to evidence-based practice, this book explores common sources of error and provides psychologists, counselors, social workers, and allied health professionals practical guidance with decision aids and applications of critical thinking skills to clinical decision making.

Author Biography

Eileen Gambrill is the Hutto Patterson Professor of Child and Family Studies at the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, where she teaches both research and practice. Her research and writing cover professional decision making, evidence-informed practice, the role of critical thinking propaganda in the helping professions and its harmful effects, and the ethics of helping. She presents nationally and internationally on the topics of critical thinking, evidence-informed practice, and the ethics of helping.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Lay of the Land
The Need for Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice	p. 3
Sources of Influence on Clinical Decisions	p. 9
Reasons and Reasoning: The Heart of Making Decisions	p. 57
Different Views of Knowledge and How to Get It: Exploring Your Personal Epistemology	p. 87
Common Sources of Error
The Influence of Language and Persuasion Strategies	p. 131
Formal and Informal Fallacies: Mistakes in Thinking and How to Avoid Them	p. 155
Classification, Authority, and Focusing on Pathology	p. 181
Decision Aids
Content and Procedural Knowledge	p. 209
Taking Advantage of Research on Judgment, Problem Solving, and Decision Making	p. 239
Evidence-Based Practice: A Philosophy and Process for Making Informed Decisions	p. 275
Posing Questions and Searching for Answers	p. 297
Critical Appraisal of Practice- and Policy-Related Research: The Need for Skepticism	p. 335
Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Clinical Decisions
Making Decisions About Data Collection	p. 377
Discovering Causes of Clients' Problems: Common Biases	p. 409
Making Predictions: Improving the Odds	p. 453
Enhancing the Quality of Case Conferences, Team Meetings, and Organizational Culture	p. 481
The Future
Overcoming Personal Obstacles to Critical Thinking	p. 509
Maintaining Critical Thinking Skills	p. 533
References	p. 549
About the Author	p. 623
Author Index	p. 625
Subject Index	p. 641
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