The effect of concept mapping on clinical decision making skills of ICU nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Concept mapping is an innovative tool that would help hospital educators and nurses to promote their knowledge and clinical decision making skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of concept mapping on clinical decision making skills of nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was conducted among baccalaureate nurses working in an intensive care unit. Forty two nurses were recruited and data gathering was performed through a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted by SPSS software package version 16.0. Results: Despite the significant difference between the mean pre-, post- and retention test scores (P<0.001), there was no significant correlation between these results and the nurses’ gender. A negative significant association was found between age and improved post test scores (P=0.02). Work experience had a significant positive effect on post test score improvement (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that the concept mapping strategy had a significant effect on the clinical decision making skills of nurses. However, further research on a larger sample size is recommended to confirm the results.

Keywords

• concept mapping
• clinical decision making
• intensive care unit nurse