DOI: 10.1097/nne.0000000000002275 ISSN: 0363-3624

Effects of a Modified Version of Illness-Wellness Continuum Framework on Nursing Students’ Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment

Shu-Yi Wang, Chia-Lin Tsai, Lacey Cross

Background:

As health care evolves, nursing faculty need to continuously update the curriculum. Theories and models help students grasp abstract critical thinking concepts that underpin clinical reasoning.

Purpose:

To evaluate how integrating the Illness-Wellness Continuum model into the nursing curriculum affects undergraduate students’ critical thinking and clinical judgment.

Methods:

This was a study of 127 students in a medical-surgical nursing course using the Critical Thinking Self-Assessment Scale and a clinical judgment tool.

Results:

Clinical judgment scores improved significantly ( P < .001) from course start (4.87 ± 0.60) to end (5.38 ± 0.49), as did critical thinking scores (4.47 ± 0.67; 4.96 ± 0.70). Age and gender showed no significant effects, although the relationship between critical thinking and clinical judgment strengthened significantly (Fisher z = 2.64, P = .014).

Conclusions:

The Modified Illness-Wellness Continuum model effectively bridges foundational medical knowledge with nursing practice, fostering critical thinking and clinical judgment in undergraduate nursing students.

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