Example of the Use of the Think-Aloud Strategy Betty Dobson is a 75-year-old patient who was admitted with a fractured wrist after an unwitnessed fall at home 2 days ago. She is complaining of feeling...

Example of the Use of the Think-Aloud Strategy

Betty Dobson is a 75-year-old patient who was admitted with a fractured wrist after an unwitnessed fall at home 2 days ago. She is complaining of feeling a bit lightheaded and dizzy and tells the nursing student caring for her that she was too tired to get out of bed today. The nursing student moves to collect a sphygmomanometer. The educator prompts the student to think aloud and to explain her reasoning. The student explains that the patient's symptoms may be caused by hypotension, so she wants to take the patient's blood pressure to confirm this. The student takes the blood pressure and obtains a reading of 98/60. She asks the patient how much she has been drinking, explaining to her educator that dehydration can be a cause of hypotension. The educator might then prompt the student to explain the link between hypotension and dehydration and to consider other clinical issues that can cause dehydration.