JUDGMENT TASKS IN CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL-HEALTH NURSING

PROBLEM. What are the cognitive tasks involved in making judgments in psychiatric nursing? METHODS. Fifteen nurses with varied educational p reparation provided 36 in-depth interviews. A comparative content anal ysis was done to determine the underlying structure of judgment tasks. FINDINGS. Nurses use clients' presenting behaviors as a basis for mak ing judgments, with judgments being multiple, multidimensional, overla pping, and holistic. CONCLUSIONS. Understanding judgment tasks delinea tes the kind of information needed to provide the best possible care.