Clinical Reasoning Cycle Case Study.docx - Running head:...

Running head: CLINICAL REASONING CYCLE CASE STUDY 1
Clinical Reasoning Cycle Case Study
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CLINICAL REASONING CYCLE CASE STUDY 2
Clinical Reasoning Cycle Case Study
Introduction
To be a good nurse, one must possess critical thinking in addition to clinical skills. It is
through critical thinking that he or she will make life-saving decisions. Nurses who aspire to be
critical thinkers must be logical, accurate, clear, complete, precise, and fair; and all these
attributes must be reflected when acting, talking, or writing. Clinical reasoning is the process
through which clinicians collect data, process it, and understand a patient's situation or problem
so that interventions can be planned and implemented, as well as evaluation of outcomes
(Gummesson, Sunden, & Fex, 2018). It is, therefore, a professional thought process which can
also be explained as a cycle of actions taken in treatment. The Clinical Reasoning Cycle (CRC)
is a formal decision-making tool which was designed by Levett-Jones (2013) to allow nurses to
make informed choices using a systematic process that takes into consideration many factors.
This paper presents a case study in medical-surgical nursing through a discussion of
ethical, legal, holistic, patient-centered, and evidence-based care provisions through a theoretical
examination using the Clinical Reasoning Cycle. The plan for person-centered care is for Melody
King, a thirty-six years old individual suffering from peritonitis due to a ruptured appendix.
According to Mayo Clinic (2018), peritonitis is a condition in which the peritoneum gets
inflamed due to an infection as a consequence of perforations in the abdomen.
Utilizing the Clinical Reasoning Cycle
According to the CRC, nurses out to examine and evaluate steps in a clockwise direction
so as to make decisions and formulate a clear plan for intervention (Levett-Jones, 2013). In the
current case involving Ms. King, the cycle has been used to demonstrate how the tool can be put
into practice. This tool has eight steps which form a continuum that may at times move back and

CLINICAL REASONING CYCLE CASE STUDY 3
forth until the most accurate assessment is obtained. These steps are discussed in details in the
sections below as they relate to the current case.
1. Considering the facts from the patient situation
The patient, Melody King, is a female aged 36 years old. She has been admitted for
Peritonitis due to a ruptured appendix. She was referred to the Emergency Department after
suffering from Right Lower Quadrant abdominal pain for 2-3 days. She currently needs to
undergo an emergency laparoscopic surgery so that the ruptured appendix can be removed.
However, Ms. King has a history of depression and asthma, and she is currently using drugs that
include Seretide, Ventolin, and Sertraline.