Training Healthcare Providers in Critical Thinking Skills

Although developing regions of the world are gaining access to newer healthcare technology, a significant barrier to quality care remains the lack of providers’ critical thinking skills.  While providers may have reliable equipment and supply chains, if they lack the knowledge to use them in context with patient exams and treatment plans in order to improve patient care, patients may receive substandard care, and equipment and technology remain poorly utilized.  To address this challenge, Physicians for Peace (PFP) is implementing training programs for healthcare providers that emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  Modeled on US-based clinical education programs but adapted to meet partner needs, training capitalizes on existing resources and emphasizes developing patient-centered care plans to create a holistic medical education curriculum.  Such patient-centered care is a foundation of the practice of medicine, requiring initiative, reasoning, analyzing complex alternatives, and making value judgments. (Simpson and Courtneay)  To date, PFP has conducted 6 workshops on topics such as Patient Presentation and Treatment Plans, Vital Signs and Problem Solving, and Analyzing Patient Monitors, piloting the training in Morocco with pediatric critical care nurses.  Since the training, the Moroccan nurses have implemented protocols to handoff patients and begun regularly analyzing patients’ clinical statuses.  Combined with diagnostic technology, critical thinking and patient examinations will allow providers to make more informed decisions about care.  Patients will receive improved care as providers rely more on evidence and training, rather than solely on technology.