Critical Thinking in Health and Social Care

Front Cover
SAGE, Oct 25, 2007 - Social Science - 208 pages
`This book will serve well a diverse audience - in policy formulation and practice determination at all levels - who are committed to the nation′s health and well-being′ - Dianne Willcocks, Vice Chancellor, York St John University

Critical Thinking in Health & Social Care is designed to equip practitioners with the knowledge and tools they need to critically examine practice in their own workplace.

The book presents a range of different approaches, which have particular relevance in the context of health and social care. Each approach is explained and grounded in practice using case studies, problem-solving scenarios and workplace examples. The practical tools which form the core of the book are contextualised by an exploration of what constitutes knowledge and evidence and the types of assumptions which are commonly held and which have a bearing on practice.

This is an essential text for advanced post-graduate health and social care students, and for those who are moving into more senior and strategic roles. Critical Thinking in Health & Social Care provides an array of tools which can be used to challenge and change existing practice and to solve problems.

Stella Jones-Devitt is Head of Subject for Health Studies and Community Engagement at York St John University. Liz Smith is Programme Leader for Health Professional Studies, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Hull

 

Contents

1 Thinking critically about critical thinking
3
2 The authenticity of knowledge
16
3 Assumptions
29
4 The nature of evidence
43
Section 2 Key Theoretical Tools of Critical Thinking
57
5 Political ideologies
59
6 Moral Reasoning
73
7 Feminism and PostFeminism
88
9 Chaos and complexity theories
117
10 Postmodernism and PostStructuralism
130
Section 3 Application to health and social care practice
145
11 Case studies in health and social care
147
12 The implications for practice
159
Summary
169
References
172
Index
183

8 Critical Realism
103

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