Usefulness of Abductive Reasoning in Nursing Education

Background Hypothetico-deductive reasoning used by novice nurses could limit their ability to explain a presenting care situation in its entirety. Hence, scholars recommend the use of abductive reasoning as an alternative approach. Purpose This study explored the effects of abductive reasoning training on baccalaureate nursing students' hypothesis generation abilities. Method Through a pretest-posttest study, we delivered educational training on abductive reasoning and examined hypothesis accuracy, expertise, and breadth. Participants generated scenario-specific hypotheses before and after the training. Academic content experts validated the scenarios, and 2 independent raters scored participants' hypotheses. Results Twenty first- and second-year nursing students participated in this pilot study. Posttest scores showed a significant improvement in participants' hypothesis generation abilities: accuracy (P < .001), expertise (P < .001), and breadth (P = .006). Conclusion Abductive reasoning training in nursing education may improve students' hypothesis generation abilities.