Critical thinking disposition among hospital nurses in Japan: Impact of organizational versus personal factors.

Abstract

Critical thinking is vital in implementing evidence-based practice. However, little is known about factors related to critical thinking among nurses in Japan. This study aims to comprehensively explore the organizational and personal factors related to critical thinking disposition among hospital nurses in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey. Critical thinking was measured using the 33-item Japanese Critical Thinking Disposition Scale. We asked nurse managers about organizational characteristics of hospitals/units and about their critical thinking disposition. We questioned staff nurses regarding personal characteristics, cultural construal of self, self-esteem, perception of their work environment and workload, experiences of nursing research, and critical thinking disposition. We conducted multiple regression analysis to identify factors associated with staff nurses' critical thinking. We analyzed data from 68 nurse managers and 986 staff nurses. The staff nurses' mean age was 37.6 years and 91% of the participants were female. Factors related to higher critical thinking were working in an emergency unit (β = .07, p = .040); having a bachelor's degree or higher qualification (β = .07, p = .030); having higher independent view of self (β = .22, p < .001), self-esteem (β = .24, p < .001), and perceived workload (β = .10, p = .002); and training experience of nursing research in post-licensure education (β = .15, p < .001). The factors influencing critical thinking disposition are mainly related to personal characteristics or experiences. Providing research training for nurses may contribute to fostering critical thinking.