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 preparation provided 36 in-depth interviews. A comparative content analysis was done to determine the underlying structure of judgment tasks.

FINDINGS

Nurses use clients' presenting behaviors as a basis for making judgments, with judgments being multiple multidimensional, overlapping, and holistic.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding judgment tasks delineates the kind of information needed to provide the best possible care.