Problem: Critical thinking (CT) is an essential element in the delivery of healthcare. For this reason, CT has become a much sought after outcome of nursing education. The emergence of CT as a primary outcome of nursing education is not just a western phenomena; it has become a focus of nursing education in Asia as well. In Hong Kong, nursing educational leaders cited CT as a vital outcome of the higher education core curriculum. Despite the increased focus on the need to develop CT in nurses, little is known about the CT dispositions and skills of Chinese nurses. Purpose and Scope: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to identify and describe the CT dispositions and skills of Chinese nurses before and after a CT educational intervention. Goals and Objectives: The goal of this project was to construct and carry out a critical thinking educational intervention for Chinese nurses and to measure the critical thinking dispositions and skills of course participants before and after the educational intervention. The short term objectives of this study were: to identify the demographic characteristics of age, educational level, and years of work experience of a sample o f Chinese nurses, to measure and describe the CT dispositions and skills of a sampl of Chinese nurses before a CT educational intervention, and to measure and describe the CT dispositions and skills of a sample of Chinese nurses after a CT educational intervention. The long term objective of this study was to add to the body of knowledge concerning the CT dispositions and skills of Chinese nurses. Plan and Evaluation: Following a proposed timeframe the project plan consisted of four phases. Phase One: the carrying out a needs assessment and literature review. Phase Two: Identification of CT evaluation instruments and development of the CT educational intervention materials. Phase Three: gathering of demographic data, implementation of the intervention, and measurement of the pre-intervention and post-intervention CT dispositions and skills of a sample of Chinese nurses. Phase Four: the compilation and analysis of the pre-intervention and post-intervention data. Outcomes and Results: Utilizing a descriptive interventional research design, quanitative analysis of the pre-intervention and post-intervention data from two instruments revealed a significant increase in the overall CT dispositions and skills for this sample of Chinese nurses. Cronbach’s alpha measures for the pre-intervention and post-intervention data were achieved for this population.
