Table of Contents

Part 1. Introduction: Developing Clinical Judgment

Ch. 1. The Use of Clinical Judgment in Professional Nursing Practice

Ch. 2. How to Apply Clinical Judgment Models to Ensure Client Safety

Part 2. Clinical Judgment for Clients Across the Lifespan Experiencing Commonly Occurring Health Problems

Ch. 3. Perfusion: Heart Failure (adult)

Ch. 4. Clotting: Deep Vein Thrombosis (adult)

Ch. 5. Gas Exchange:



Asthma (peds)
COPD (adult)

Ch. 6. Elimination: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia/TURP (adult)

Ch. 7. Nutrition:



Cholecystitis/Cholecystectomy (peds)
Peptic Ulcer Disease (adult)

Ch. 8. Mobility:



Fractured Hip/ORIF (adult)
Parkinson's Disease (adult)

Ch. 9. Metabolism:



Diabetes Mellitus (adult)
Hypothyroidism/Thyroidectomy

Ch. 10. Cellular Regulation: Breast Cancer/Mastectomy (adult)

Ch. 11. Inflammation: Crohn's Disease (adult)

Ch. 12. Infection:



Cellulitis (adult)
RSV (peds)

Ch. 13. Sensory Perception: Cataracts/Intraocular Lens Implant (adult)

Ch. 14. Cognition:



Delirium (adult)
Alzheimer's Disease (adult)

Ch. 15. Mood and Affect: Depression (peds)

Ch. 16. Stress and Coping: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (adult)

Ch. 17. Reproduction: Uterine Leiomyoma/Hysterectomy (adult)

Part 3. Clinical Judgment for Childbearing Families

Ch. 18. Reproduction:



Uncomplicated Prenatal Woman
Complicated Prenatal Woman
Uncomplicated Intrapartum Care
Complicated Intrapartum Care
Uncomplicated Postpartum Care
Complicated Postpartum Care
Uncomplicated Newborn Care

Part 4. Clinical Judgment for Clients Across the Lifespan Experiencing Complex Multi-System Health Problems

Ch. 19. Perfusion:



Myocardial Infarction (adult)
Atrial Fibrillation/Stroke (adult)
Hypovolemic Shock (adult)

Ch. 20. Mobility: Spinal Cord Injury (peds)

Ch. 21. Cognition: Traumatic Brain Injury (adult)

Ch. 22. Infection: Sepsis (adult)

Ch. 23. Gas Exchange: Chest Trauma (peds)

Ch. 24. Elimination:



Chronic Kidney Disease (adult)
Bowel Obstruction (adult)

Ch. 25. Metabolism:



Diabetic Ketoacidosis (peds)
Cirrhosis (adult)

Ch. 26. Stress and Coping: Substance Use Disorder (peds)

About the Author

Donna Ignatavicius is nationally recognized as an expert in nursing education and medical-surgical/gerontological nursing and has a wealth of experiences as a nurse educator, clinical nurse specialist, and administrator for over 40 years. Currently, she provides curriculum consultation and presentations for nursing faculty on topics such as concept-based curriculum, assessment of learning methods, and active learning strategies through her consulting company, DI Associates, Inc. Additionally, she is the primary author of numerous articles and books, including Medical-Surgical Nursing: Concepts for Interprofessional Collaborative Care, 11th ed. (2024) and her new student workbooks, Developing Clinical Judgment for Professional Nursing Practice and NGN Readiness, 2nd ed. (2024) and Developing Clinical Judgment for Practical/Vocational Nursing and the Next-Generation NCLEX-PN® Examination (2021). In 2007 she was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious Academy of Nursing Education (ANEF) for her national contribution to the field of nursing education. In 2016 she obtained her Certified Nurse Educator® (CNE) credential; in 2020 she obtained her Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNEcl) credential.