Rank-Talk-Write

Rank-Talk-Write.

A Beginner’s Guide to Critical Thinking and Writing in Health and Social Care , By  Helen Aveyard, Mary Woolliams, Pam Sharp.

What struck me the most in the introduction of the book was that amongst other users , it mentions that this book is meant for ‘ those who tend to take things at ‘face value’, and need to dig deeper into the evidence they come across’ . This to me is a key component of the definition of critical thinking .

Following are some of the key ideas that I picked up from this book :

1. Critical thinking is essential to promote the best decision- making. (Aveyard et al, 2015, p.28)
2. Critical thinking means being critical about the information we receive and how we use it. (Aveyard et al, 2015, p.28)
3. Information is expanding in all areas of health and social care , ranging from information that can be inaccurate and misleading to useful sources. (Aveyard et al, 2015 )
4. As professionals we need to be able to work out which information is useful to us and use it appropriately . (Aveyard et al, 2015, p.28)
5. ‘Six questions for critical thinking’ tool can help identify the most appropriate sources and enable one to be more critical of the information one uses in their academic work and professional practice – -What is it , Where did you find it , Who has written/said this, When was is written / said, Why was it written/ said , How do you know it is good quality?  (Aveyard et al, 2015, p.18)
6. Incorporating a critical approach in one’s writing and presentations will demonstrate that one is well informed, and able to identify relevant information/evidence and appraise the sources of information/evidence that one comes across.
7. In decreasing order of reliability , sources of information that one can use in research / writing are- Systematic reviews of research , Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), Other quantitative studies , Qualitative studies on patient/client experience , anecdotal reports.
8. Critical thinking is more complex in professional practice than in academic writing or presenting. (Aveyard et al, 2015, p. 131)
9. Not all professionals are rational; sometimes their personal beliefs and attitudes can affect the care they deliver.
10. It is useful to identify whether your work place/placement has a critical approach to learning and consider how to influence it. (Aveyard et al, 2015, p. 131)
11. Critical thinking and reflection go hand in hand; Reid ( 1993) defines reflection as a process of reviewing an experience and learning from it  ( as cited in Aveyard et al, 2015 . )

They ‘ aim’ of the book is to help the readers develop critical skills in making sense of the information they receive in professional or academic work. I picked this book because it reached out to me both as a practicing professional and as a student. Reading this book helped refresh my skills in regards to academic research and writing. It also helped me realise there was room for improvement in some key areas. One of the definitions of critical thinking they give is that critical thinking is ‘taking a step back and thinking logically and carefully about the information and evidence you have, rather than believing and acting on everything you read, see and hear. It is about seeking the best available evidence and using this to challenge your own assumptions and prior understanding. It is about questioning and evaluating the information or evidence available to you’ .

Another concept that they bring to the forefront is by challenging the idea that everybody in professional life is rational. They argue that health and social care professionals have individual values, attitudes and beliefs that affect how they deliver care.  They caution one to be reflective in their work place, and adopt critical thinking. They suggest having a ‘critical’ friend or colleague to help develop self awareness. The book also proposes that one does not always need to keep doing things a certain way because everyone is doing it, or that is how it has always been done.

In promoting the ‘Six Question’ approach towards information sourcing, they suggest that in academic research and writing a student needs to develop critical thinking in analyzing the available information, and filtering what is relevant. If one is not self aware while processing information, they risk preferring evidence that supports their ideas and rejecting information that is opposing to their beliefs.

References

1. A Beginners’ guide to critical thinking and writing in health and social care. ( 2015) Aveyard, H.; Woolliams, M.; Sharp, P. Edition: Second edition. Maidenhead : McGraw-Hill Education.
2. Reid, B. (1993) ‘But we’re doing it already’: exploring a response to the concept of reflective practice in order to improve its facilitation, Nurse Education Today, 13: 305-9