1．Critical Thinking and its Relationship to Nursing Diagnosis

　Critical thinking has been called a“liberating force”in all thoughtful human activity and a central phenomenon in a practice discipline. The translation of nursing knowledge into nursing practice requires critical thinking. In order to understand critical thinking's role in nursing diagnosis, it is necessary to explicate the concept. An analysis of widely utilized definitions of critical thinking emphasizes the importance of the processes of analysis, evaluation and reflection for developing authentic nursing dianoses. The implications of critical thinking attitudes and cognitive skills are described and linked with the diagnostic process. Finally, an operational definition of critical thinking in nursing along with empirical indicators of its presence is described.